


Lady In Red

by BrightShiningAsTheSun



Category: Dear Sidewalk
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-24
Updated: 2019-08-08
Packaged: 2019-10-15 14:56:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 27,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17530874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrightShiningAsTheSun/pseuds/BrightShiningAsTheSun
Summary: He was only back at work for a week, just a simple favour to a friend. Gardner didn't think anything of it, it's not like it would make any difference. Then he met Margaux.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> listen, Gardner deserves a happy romance so here we go, kids

How much the sidewalk had changed in just a year.

There were new paving slabs on Bleeker Street that spiralled into each other like snail shells. A pothole had been filled in on Lake Drive. Children’s chalk drawings tattooed the skin of Foxglove Avenue, stretching across the breadth of the road and down along its spine.

Gardner’s gaze traced the patterns beneath his sensible shoes, the rosy pinks and cool blues, following the twists and curves until he reached the intersection. His mailbag swung emptily against his hip. He was thankfully nearly finished for the day, it was almost noon and the sun was beginning to beat down against the pavement and, more importantly, him.

There was once a time, not very long ago, when he wondered if he would ever get the chance to carry this esteemed burden ever again, after he lost his job, after his first romantic tryst, after he finally let go of the past and stepped forward into a new, freer life. But here he was again.

Gardner turned onto Marigold Lane. This was not his usual route but he’d lived in Austin so long, every inch of it was familiar. Bright orange flowers by the roadside waved at him as he passed but he didn't stop to enjoy them. Soon, the street narrowed and he made his way onto the sidewalk, pushing open the gate of the first house with practised finesse.  
  
Gardner didn’t see this as a step backwards. He saw it as a favour. He did not have his old job back, although he had a feeling he might be able to wheedle himself back in, given the time. But then, he wasn’t sure if he actually wanted to. He shook his head.  _Just focus on the sidewalk._

Gardner chewed his lip as he crossed the road to the next house on his adopted route. It was mid-July and as usual, he had nowhere to go. So, when he met his old friends at their usual bar and Linda mentioned she was going on her first vacation in ten years, he offered to fill her shoes. 

It was only temporary, a summer job to earn a bit of extra cash and to help out a friend, but as he turned onto the final house on the lane, Gardner couldn’t deny just how much he’d missed this.  
  
“Morning!”  
  
His hand paused on the gate. Its red paint was flaking, the hinge rusted with age. He was so lost in his own thoughts that this was all Gardner could focus on for a few moments before he slowly looked up.  
  
There was a young woman kneeling on the grass, just in front of the gate. She was smiling at him even though he definitely would have hit her if she hadn’t stopped him opening the gate. Smiling was something he wasn’t entirely used to from civilians. Usually, they barely even registered his presence or just gave him a polite nod, so it was a surprise to actually be addressed.

“Good morning,” Gardner said stiffly. This was his last delivery of the day and as much as he loved his job, he was eager to get home and eat lunch. That, and he still wasn’t completely comfortable talking to civilians. They were, more often than not, more trouble than he could handle.

The woman tilted her head to the side, lifting up her sunglasses to reveal dark, intelligent eyes. “You look different,” she said, and her smile stretched into a grin.  
  
Gardner frowned. “We’ve never met.”  
  
The woman laughed. “A lady usually comes by. Nancy, I think?”

“Linda.” He shuffled uncomfortably. This was the longest conversation he’d had with a member of the public, someone he didn’t know, in a long time. “She’s on vacation.”  
  
“Oh, wow! Nice for some, eh?”  
  
The woman rose to her feet and Gardner resisted the urge to take a step backwards. The dungarees she wore were old and battered and spotted with what he thought might be oil stains. As she came closer, he watched her tuck the screwdriver she’d been holding into the pocket on the front. Underneath her overalls, she wore a faded red t-shirt, the same rusty colour as the gate.  
  
Gardner cleared his throat and dug into his bag, pulling out her small stack of mail in one smooth motion. "Here you go, ma'am."  
  
“Oh, thank you."

Strangely, she was still smiling at him. Her accent was different. English, he thought, but edged with something else. Her dark hair was piled on top of her head in a haphazard bun and now that she was closer, Gardner found that she smelt like the flowers that lined this street.  
  
He gave her a tight smile and began to turn away but to his great surprise, she spoke again.

“I’m Margaux, by the way.”  
  
Gardner looked back and found she’d stuck out her hand. This was very irregular. And she was very pretty.  _Not that it matters_ , he thought,  _but she is, she really is._

He hesitated before taking her offered hand, shaking quickly, then pointed to the letter on the very top of the pile he’d given her. “Yeah, I- I know.”  
  
Margaux looked to where he’d pointed. There it was in black and white print:  _Margaux Ersatz, 19 Marigold Lane, Austin TX._  She tutted, annoyed with herself. “Oh, of course.”

She was still smiling. It was a nice smile. Gardner cleared his throat, glanced down at his feet, then back up at her. “Well, goodbye," he said quickly, then gave her a tiny, stupid, awkward wave.

“Thanks for the..." Margaux trailed off when he turned on his heel and hurried off down the street. "Post.” She watched him practically power-walk into the distance until he disappeared around the corner. Margaux chuckled, sinking back down onto her knees in front of the front gate. “Nice to meet you.”

She pulled out her screwdriver again, making a final adjustment to the bracket. It had come loose sometime last week and she'd only just got round to fixing it. She tightened the last bolt then sat back to admire her work.

The midday sun was already almost too much to handle, so Margaux didn't stick around any longer than she had to. She went back inside, still chuckling at the startled look on her new postman's face. In fact, she thought about him for most of the day.


	2. Chapter 2

The weight of the washing machine made it sink into the earth, crushing a few flowers and most likely leaving an awful, square dent in the grass.

Margaux twisted her mouth, annoyed, and gave the machine a small kick with the toe of her shoe while its owner wasn't looking, avenging her beloved garden.

Mr. Friagiani was a smiley, round, ruddy-faced man, who didn't seem to notice her irritation. He gave the washing machine a fond pat, as if it were the family dog. "You sure you don't mind if I leave it with you?"

Margaux smiled, choosing to mourn her garden later. "Don't worry, I'll have it sorted in no time."

"Thanks, Margaux. You're a lifesaver."

"Shouldn't take me too long; you can pick it up later in the week. I’ll let you know."

Mr. Friagiani thanked her again, shook Margaux's hand, then jumped back into his truck.

Margaux watched him drive off, waving back when he stuck his hand out the window. She didn't know Mr. Friagiani all that well, he was the friend of one of her regulars, but he seemed like a nice man.

She turned back to the washing machine now that they were alone. "Alright, you," she muttered, pushing up her sleeves as if they were in a good old-fashioned standoff. "If you cooperate, I might forgive you for making a dent in my garden."

The morning air was clear and the sun was only just beginning to rise. Margaux found her skin covered in goosebumps as she kneeled behind the washing machine. She tied back her hair and cracked her knuckles before she took the back panel off and dove into the mechanism.

She barely noticed the time passing. In fact, Margaux was so engrossed in her work that she only stopped twice. The first was when she got hungry around ten and wandered inside to grab the biscuit tin and make herself a cup of coffee. The second was when she heard her front gate creak beneath the music playing from her little stereo.

Margaux looked up, having to stretch to peer over the top of the machine. When she saw the postman coming up the path, she immediately began to smile. "Morning!"

Gardner jumped about a foot in the air. He span around, looking for the source of the voice, and found Margaux kneeling on the grass again. "Good morning," he replied, his voice a little shaky. He realised he still had her mail pressed to his chest and slowly relaxed, letting out a long breath.

Margaux felt bad for scaring him, so she tapped her spanner against the side of the metal tin sat on top of the machine. "Do you want a cookie? I made them yesterday."

Gardner stared at her for a moment. He wanted to decline, he wasn't in the habit of accepting gifts from civilians. Trudie only managed to get away with it because they were friends, and she was a grandmother, so she was used to divvying out food to visitors. This woman was neither of those things. But then his stomach grumbled loudly and she gave him a small, triumphant smile.

Gardner looked over his shoulder, making sure that no one was watching, then stepped closer and picked a biscuit off the top of the pile. "Thanks," he said quietly, taking a hesitant bite. It was delicious, of course.

The woman had her arms inside a washing machine. Margaux, that was her name. He'd been rolling it around in his head since yesterday. It looked unnervingly complicated from where he stood but she moved between the different parts with confidence.

"Did your machine break?"

Margaux looked up and shot him a frankly marvellous grin, her red lipstick stealing his attention as she spoke.

"Oh, it's not mine. It's Mr. Friagiani's from down the road."

She gestured in her neighbour's direction, flinging droplets of oil onto the grass. Gardner took a cautious step backwards.

"The connector between the tub pulley and the agitator shaft is warped so I've gotta replace it."

Gardner blinked, trying to process the jargon and failing. She sounded just like Calvin the last time he'd attempted to teach him how to fix cars. "You're a mechanic?"

Margaux wiped her hands on the front of her jeans then rose to her feet. "I wouldn't say that. People bring me their broken stuff, I fix it."

She reached for the little stereo sat on top of the washing machine and turned down the music. Gardner panicked, knowing that meant she wanted to keep talking to him.

Margaux grabbed a biscuit for herself. "I don't have any qualifications; I just like to fix things."

There was a smudge of dirt just over her eyebrow from where she must've wiped her forehead with her oil-streaked hands. He almost reached out to brush it away but thankfully caught himself in time. "My brother's a mechanic," he said suddenly, not sure why he felt the need to keep talking. His heart did something stupid and fluttery when her face lit up.

"Amazing!" She looked him up and down, from the funny wide-brimmed hat on top of his head right down to his sensible shoes. "What about you? What do you do?"

Gardner frowned. "I'm a mail carrier." He saw her grin and realised she was kidding. He looked down at the grass, embarrassed, then suddenly remembered why he was there in the first place. "I better get going." He passed her two envelopes, both bills, nothing exciting. "Thanks for the…" He raised the biscuit, then turned and pushed open her front gate.

Margaux bit back a laugh as he stumbled slightly, clearly flustered. "See you tomorrow," she called, watching him hurry down the street.

He didn't look back but she didn't mind. Still chuckling to herself, Margaux dove into the biscuit tin with one hand and turned up the stereo again with the other, before settling herself back down behind the washing machine.

* * *

The next day, as Gardner stepped onto Marigold Lane, he found his heart had picked up its pace. He tried to ignore it, tried to focus on the sidewalk to help clear his mind, but as he flitted between houses like a hummingbird between flowers, he couldn't help thinking about the girl at Number Nineteen.

He wasn't sure what it was about her, what it was about Margaux Ersatz that intrigued him. Apart from the few special people in his life, he tried to avoid all human contact, so why,  _why_ , did he looked forward to delivering her mail?

As he stepped off the curb to cross over to her side of the street, his heart was beating almost unbearably hard. He kept his head down as he walked up the drive of Number Seventeen, gathering all his courage. He couldn't decide if he was nervous or excited, either way, his stomach was in knots.

All too soon, he had reached the last house on the road. Gardner was desperately relieved when he found the front lawn empty. She wasn't home. He breathed an enormous sigh as he pushed open the front gate, mentally counting down the days until Linda came back from vacation.

His relief was shattered by a sudden chord of music. Gardner looked up slowly, regretfully. Margaux was sitting on her front porch listening to her stereo, sipping from a deep red mug. She smiled at the sight of him and it made his chest tighten, but then she reached over and turned up the stereo.

_'Oh, yes, wait a minute, Mr. Postman. Wait, Mr. Postman. There must be some word today from my boyfriend who's so far away. Please, Mr. Postman, look and see, is there a letter, a letter for me?'_

Gardner nodded, giving her a tight smile as he approached the porch steps. "Morning."

Margaux grinned, feeling very proud of herself. "Salutations." She turned down the stereo. "Anything fun happen to you today?"

Gardner frowned, puzzled. "No."

"Not yet?" Margaux asked hopefully, but he shook his head.

"No high expectations for later either."

She hummed and took a sip of her tea. "Shame."

Gardner decided not to respond and instead reached into his messenger bag for her mail. "Here." Her grin surprised him. It was only a handful of letters, most of it junk mail, but she still seemed pleased.

"Ta," she said, flicking through the mail.

Gardner looked over his shoulder in the direction of freedom, then back at her. He swayed, his foot leaving the ground to turn to leave, but he stopped at the last moment. The pull of his home and safety were, for the first time in a very long while, outweighed by the desire to keep talking to this strange woman.

Giving into temptation, he said, "You have an interesting name."

Margaux looked up, still smiling. "Thank you."

"Where are you from?"

"My dad's German, my mum's French. I was born in Berlin but we moved to London when I was seven. I'm a bitsa."

Margaux put down her mail and sat up in her chair. He watched her tea slosh around dangerously but didn't say anything.

"A bitsa?" he asked instead.

"Yeah," Margaux tilted her head from side to side. "Bitsa this and bitsa that." She felt a swell of pride when she finally managed to get a proper smile out of him. "You still haven't told me yours."

"My what?"

"Your name, love."

Gardner felt his cheeks heat up at the term of endearment and knew he was blushing. He fiddled with the strap of his bag uncomfortably, finding it even more difficult than usual to meet her gaze. "Gardner."

Margaux grinned, and his blush only worsened. "Your name is Gardner and you're a postman?"

He frowned. "Yes?"

Margaux laughed softly, shaking her head. He realised she was kidding with him again. Everything this woman said seemed to be some sort of wisecrack, Gardner really wasn't used to strangers being so friendly.

Margaux got up from her chair and turned down her stereo, which was now playing a Meat Loaf song he really liked but couldn't remember the name of at the moment.

"I like you," she said, putting down her mug and walking to her front door

"Thank you," Gardner replied, not sure what response would be appropriate.

Margaux pushed open her door. He thought that was his cue to leave, but she only stepped inside to grab a trolley hidden behind the door. It supported a boxy microwave, a relic from the 80s. She tugged it out onto the porch with some difficulty.

"I'd love to stay and chat," Margaux flashed him another dazzling smile, slinging her stereo inside so that no one would steal it before she locked the door. "But I have to drop this off for a lady on Friday Street."

She had made it her mission to break through the shell that her funny little postman wore. There was something about him, something she just instantly liked. She wasn't sure why, but Margaux wanted to know more about him, anything and everything. She had even waited around all morning just to see him, pushing back her appointment with a customer to make sure she didn't miss him.

Gardner side-stepped out of her way, watching nervously as she dragged it down the three steps of her porch onto the lawn. "You're gonna drag it the whole way?"

"Well, I don't have a car, so unless you're offering..." She looked back at him over her shoulder, raising her eyebrows, but Gardner said nothing. She was only joking, once again, but this time he'd caught it. Progress. "Don't worry, Mr. Postman," Margaux chuckled, turning away again. "I'm stronger than I look."

Gardner believed her. He remembered how she'd reworked the inner-mechanism of that washing machine with ease, how she'd twirled the heavy spanner between her fingers like a baton. 

They only met three days ago but he hadn't thought about much else since. This funny woman, who always seemed pleased to see him, who asked him questions but never pushed too far, who liked to make jokes but was never cruel, Margaux Ersatz at Number Nineteen in her paint-splattered overalls, always surrounded by the colour red.

"See you tomorrow, Gardner," she called over her shoulder as the gate shut behind her, leaving her postman standing on the front porch.

He was so distracted by the movement of her red dress, the swing of her hips, that all he managed was a feeble, "See you."

* * *

Margaux made it to Friday Street in just under twenty minutes. Thankfully, the sun was hidden behind a thick layer of clouds, but she was still unpleasantly sweaty by the time she made it to Number Forty-Five.

She wrenched the trolley through the front gate, groaning with the effort. She'd put on a good show in front of Gardner but the microwave was almost as big as she was and unbelievably heavy.

Mrs. Gerrard was a sweet, old lady who Margaux had met one day at the supermarket. She'd overheard her complaining to her husband about needing a new car, since theirs was always breaking down. 

Margaux had politely stepped in, offering to take a look at it for them. She discovered the problem almost immediately and saved the Gerrards the trouble and money of buying a new car. Since then, she'd been their on-call handy-woman.

Margaux loved it. She was always happiest when she was fixing things, it was all she was good at. She understood machines, understood how they worked, and enjoyed figuring it out when she didn't. Mrs. Gerrard was just one of the many people in Austin she worked for. They came to her with their problems and within a few days, she handed them back, almost like new. It was the best job she'd ever had.

Mrs. Gerrard was waiting for her by the door. Thankfully, she didn't have any steps up to her house, Margaux wasn't sure she could manage the bulky microwave much further.

"Hi, Mrs. Gerrard."

"Hi, sweetheart." Mrs. Gerrard held the door open wide for her. "Come in, come in."

Margaux took a moment to catch her breath then swept the microwave up into her arms. She staggered under its weight at first but soon caught her footing. She leaned herself in the direction of the door and used the momentum to push her forwards into the house.

Swearing under her breath, Margaux followed Mrs. Gerrard through to the kitchen.

"You can just put it down anywhere, I'll get Jack to move it later."

Margaux thought about leaving the microwave on the floor but Mrs. Gerrard and her husband were both in their 70s and she didn't want to put them through trying to move the machine later, so she aimed for the spot on the counter where it usually sat, even if it almost took her back out to lift it the last few inches.

Mrs. Gerrard smiled, pleased. "How much do I owe you?"

"We'll call it $30. I had to get some parts, I'm sorry."

"That's alright, hon. You're still half the price of taking it to the shop." Mrs. Gerrard fished through her bag for her purse, pulling out three $10 bills with another smile. "Here."

"Thanks, Mrs. Gerrard. Have a good afternoon."

"You too, hon."

Margaux waved goodbye to the old lady, then made her way back out into the hallway. She pulled open the door but paused, feeling a familiar tug in her chest.

She turned to look at the cabinet sat by the door. She felt all her muscles tense, her breath stoppered by an overwhelming surge of anxiety.

Margaux bit her lip, glancing back over her shoulder. Mrs. Gerrard was still in the kitchen, setting up her good-as-new microwave.

Margaux waited, making sure that she wouldn't suddenly follow after her. When she was certain it was safe, she slipped the tiny desk clock off the cabinet and stepped outside, shutting the door behind her.


	3. Chapter 3

The kettle finished with a snap. It made Margaux jump. She'd been staring into space for the past few minutes whilst she waited for the water to boil, trying to figure out what was wrong with the car her neighbour had entrusted her with.

She dropped a teabag into the mug, then poured in the hot water. She could see the engine laid out before her in her mind's eyes, separating the layers and parts into a schematic. 

She knew she needed to replace the U-joint but it was something she hadn't done in many years. Margaux wracked her brain, trying to recall what she'd been taught as she stirred her tea.

She was only brought out of her thoughts when she heard the garden gate shut. Margaux looked up, already smiling. There he was, Gardner, walking up the path.

She waited for a moment, not wanting to seem too eager. She watched, still smiling, as he seemed to take his time walking up to the house. Was she imagining it, or was he looking for her?

She finished her tea and stepped out into the hallway, unsuccessfully hiding just how pleased she was to see him. Margaux pushed open the front door just as Gardner slotted her post into the mailbox.

"Mr. Postman."

Gardner gave her a weak smile. "Miss. Ersatz."

He was disappointed when he didn't see her sitting in her garden. Gardner didn't want to admit it, but he looked forward to seeing Margaux, even though she made him all stuttery and nervous. Now, here she was and his heart was pounding like a piston.

Margaux thought it might seem rude to grab her mail when he'd only just posted it, so she leaned against the doorframe instead. She let her gaze travel down him, taking in his standard blue uniform shirt and dark shorts. His socks almost reached his knees, for crying out loud, and yet he still managed to look good.

Margaux met his gaze again, realising too late that she hadn't said anything yet and she was very obviously staring. To her delight, Gardner's ears were a little pink, his mouth hanging open nervously.

She grinned, nodding to his wrist. "I like your watch."

Gardner shut his open mouth with a snap. "Thanks," he said, grateful for the distraction. He didn't think anyone had ever looked at him the way Margaux just had and it was making him feel a little hot under the collar.

Margaux smiled, sipping her tea. "They're fascinating little things, watches. Hundreds of years of horology crammed into a tiny mechanism."

She straightened up, starting to move her hands around as her excitement grew. Gardner found himself smiling just from watching her.

"There's this room in the British Museum back home that's just filled with clocks: tiny ones, pocket watches, orreries, grandfather clocks, and this brilliant thing that's like a board of wood with a groove that zigzags all the way across it? And this little marble rolls all the way round it and that marks 30 seconds and... You don't care." Margaux shut her eyes for a moment, breathing an embarrassed laugh. "Sorry."

Gardner shook his head quickly. "No, no, I do. It's very interesting."

In truth, he had glazed over a little but not out of boredom. He found he was almost hypnotised watching her talk, her clever, dark eyes lighting up as she described this room of wonders. The way she spoke, her accent, the rhythm of her voice, it was all so enthralling, he could listen to her forever.

Margaux put her hand over her face and apologised again. Her nails were bright red.

"Is that what got you into... Fixing things?" Gardner asked, hoping to encourage her to keep talking.

Margaux shook her head. "My mum taught me everything. She's... She was a mechanic, like your brother."

Gardner blinked, surprised, not noticing her stumble. He'd just thrown it out there, offering up something they had in common. And she'd remembered. He tried not to look too pleased.

Calvin had the day off, he'd be waiting for him with lunch when he got home, and he was always irritable when Gardner was late. But despite the threat of the wrath of his brother, he wanted to stay here, wanted to keep talking to Margaux, and Gardner found himself searching for something to say just to keep the conversation going.

"My watch stopped working," he said quickly, practically blurting out the words.

Margaux made a sympathetic sound. "Do you want me to take a look at it?"

"You'd do that?"

"Whole world goes awry when the post is late."

Gardner's smile vanished, his nerves rattled by the pang in his chest. "You know, my job is very important."

He was tired of people not taking him or his duty seriously. He remembered how Paige had scoffed when he told her the same thing, how almost everyone he met on his route either ignored him or thought of him as the funny little mail carrier, something to laugh at. But Margaux didn't laugh.

"I know," she said softly. "For once, I'm not kidding."

She reached out and gently held onto his forearm, pulling ever so slightly, asking him to raise his arm so that she could see his watch better. She hummed, giving it a quick once over, while Gardner tried not to think about how nice her fingertips felt against his skin. She had lovely hands; her skin speckled with tiny scars from all the heavy-duty work she did without protective gloves.

"I can probably get it done in a day. I can give it back to you tomorrow?"

Margaux looked back up at him, letting go of his arm, and Gardner met her gaze. He studied her face, trying to decide whether he could trust her. The last person he handed his watch over to threw it in the river. It wasn't expensive, it wasn't a family heirloom, but that didn't mean it wasn't important to him.

Margaux seemed to sense his hesitation because she offered him a kind smile.

"I'll take good care of it, Gardner," she promised, then held out her hand.

Gardner hesitated, just for a moment, then took off his watch. "Thank you."

He laid it across her palm and Margaux immediately closed his fingers around it, making sure she wouldn't drop it. She nodded back into the house, pushing the door open a little wider. "Fancy a cuppa? Kettle's just boiled."

Gardner wanted to say yes more than anything in the world, but he couldn't desert his brother. "Thanks," he said, smiling apologetically. "But I have to get going."

Margaux waved him off. "No worries. Take care, Mr. Postman."

"You too, Margaux."

She stepped back inside, waving with the hand that held his watch, as if it too were bidding him goodbye. Gardner huffed a laugh, looking down at his shoes. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this way, out of his own head, just happy being happy.

Margaux gave him one last smile then disappeared back inside. He was fairly certain she lived alone, it was only ever her name on the front of the letters he gave her. Gardner felt a twinge in his chest. He wondered if she was lonely.

//

* * *

 

When Gardner got home, he was several minutes late for lunch, but Calvin hardly noticed. He was still busy at the stove, a little behind himself. He was singing obnoxiously along with the radio when Gardner seated himself at the kitchen table but stopped when he saw him.

"Oh, no. I know that face." Calvin pointed at him with the wooden spoon he was using. "What's happened? Was it that dog again? I can talk to the owner?"

Gardner wondered what face he was talking about. He shook his head. "Rex is fine. We came to an agreement."

Calvin turned back to the stove with a quizzical frown. "Then what is it?"

Gardner looked away, his leg beginning to bounce nervously. He knew there was no getting out of this now, but he had rather hoped that he could keep his secret to himself for a little while longer.

It didn't seem so long ago that he was sat in this very spot, telling Calvin about the woman in the house with the yellow door. He wanted to take things slower this time, Margaux was so different, so interesting, he wanted their meetings to be just theirs until he could figure out what he was feeling. But Calvin was giving him that look.

"There's a girl."

Calvin brightened, like he'd just said he'd brought him a present

"A girl?"

He put down his spoon, drawing out an excited, curious sound, whilst Gardner rolled his eyes.

"Excuse me while I turn down this simmering pot and turn my attention to this one." Calvin leaned against the counter, flipping a kitchen towel over his shoulder. "Did you meet her on your new route?"

Gardner hesitated, then, "Yes."

"You're getting a habit."

"It's not a habit." Gardner glanced away. "She… Surprised me."

"Is she pretty?"

"Very."

"Your age?"

When Gardner scowled, Calvin grinned right back.

"What's her name?"

"Margaux."

"With an 'ot'?"

"An 'aux'."

"Ooh la la."

"She's English."

"A lady with class!” Calvin nodded appreciatively.

Gardner smiled to himself. He thought if Calvin met Margaux, she probably wouldn't match the image he had in his head.

"What else do you know about her?"

"She fixes things."

"I'll bet she does."

" _Machines_."

"She got your watch?"

Gardner looked down at his arm. There was a pale band around his wrist where his watch used to lie. Of course, Calvin had noticed, he always did.

"She's a mechanic, of sorts."

"A girl after my own heart." Calvin turned up the flame on the stove again, stirring whatever simmered within. "So how many times have you seen this wonderful mystery lady?"

"Just four. So far."

"Can I meet her?"

"No."

"You seeing her again tomorrow?"

Gardner smiled at the thought. "Yes."

Calvin said nothing for a moment but his raised eyebrows and mischievous smirk betrayed that he was still mulling this all over. When he didn't say anything, Gardner thought he might've gotten away with it and almost let himself relax, but then Calvin grinned.

"I should bake her something."

Gardner could only laugh.


	4. Chapter 4

_It was so dark. She looked down and she couldn't see her own hands in front of her._

_The rain, just the rain, so loud it was almost deafening. It smacked against the roof of the car, the muddy ground, collecting on the roads until it ran in streams._

_A flash of artificial light, the shriek of metal, then, echoing across the empty fields, a cry for help._

Margaux woke with a jolt, sitting bolt upright in bed. She scrabbled at the sheets, bunching them up in her hands as she called out to the empty room. Silence settled heavily on her shoulders.

Margaux pulled in a deep, shaky breath, closing her eyes for a moment as she came back down to earth. It was still dark outside, the sun hadn’t even begun to rise, the birds silent in the trees.

She laid down, pressing her hand against her forehead for a moment as she waited for her heart to slow. She was sweating but she felt cold all over, every one of her nerves jangling.

Margaux sighed, shaking her head. She should probably be used to this by now.

* * *

 

"Gardner, hi!"

Margaux beamed at him from the front porch as he shut the gate behind him. Gardner wondered if she spent every morning sitting out here. He could imagine her basking in the morning sunlight, enjoying her first cup of tea of the day, her hair all messy, her smile wide.

He wanted to ask her about it, wanted to get to know her just that little bit more, but Margaux had bustled him across the porch and through the front door before he could even say 'good morning'.

"Come in, come in. Make yourself at home."

She immediately offered to take his bag for him and Gardner found himself handing it over without a second thought. He watched as she carefully hung it over the bannister, making sure it was safe with a gentle pat which he found incredibly endearing.

"Do you want a cuppa? Coffee? A beer?"

"It's 11:30."

Margaux grinned. "I'm just trying to be accommodating, Gardner."

He slowly began to smile back, still not completely used to her sense of humour, but he was getting better.

He stood in the hallway, taking a moment to just soak in his new surroundings. Margaux's house was small but homely. There was a pile of shoes by the door and several coats and jackets thrown over the bannister. It looked a lot like her, a little messy, bright, interesting, but wrapped in warm browns and creams rather than her signature deep, burning red.

Gardner began to thank her for taking a look at his watch but he was distracted by something wrapping around his ankle. He looked down to find a cat weaving between his legs, black and white and very friendly.

"Oh, ignore her, she's gonna pretend that she hasn't been fed in weeks." Margaux tutted. "Don't believe a word of it."

The cat meowed up at him as he bent down to scratch its head. "Makes a difference from being yelled at by a dog," Gardner said quietly, distracted by his new friend. He hadn't spent much time with cats but this one seemed friendly enough.

"That's Ada. Her brother should be around here somewhere."

"What's his name?

"Isambard Kingdom Brunel."

Gardner looked up at her with a grin. "That's a great name."

Margaux had never seen him smile like that before. It lit up his face, making his hazel eyes shine. His cheeks were soft and pink from the sun, the slight creases by his eyes making her heart thud.

"Thank you," she said, grinning too now. "I thought so."

Gardner gazed around him. Strangely, everything was cluttered and yet somehow it didn't appear messy. It wasn't often he felt completely comfortable in new places but Margaux's little, untidy home was incredibly inviting. "I like your house. How long have you lived in Austin?"

Margaux tilted her head to the side. "You're very nosey today."

"Sorry, I-"

"I'm kidding, Gardner." Margaux smiled that soft, gentle smile of hers, gesturing for him to follow her. "I like questions, keep 'em coming."

Gardner hesitated, then followed Margaux as she led him through her house. They passed by the kitchen and the living room but he didn't have time to get a proper look. Gardner tried to take in as much as possible without appearing rude.

"I moved here... Seven years ago?" Margaux's stomach twisted. She hadn't realised it had been so long. "I was nineteen and adventurous, and I have an aunt in the next town so..." She looked back at him over her shoulder. "What about you? You from here?"

"I've lived here my whole life. I've never left."

"Never?" Margaux stopped outside of a closed door, right in the very back of her house. "Well, that's alright. Plenty of time for that. It's nice here. In Austin, I mean. I can see why you stay."

She opened the door, pushing it as far as it would go, and asked him to step inside with a grand wave of her hand.

Gardner stepped into the centre of the room, turning in slow circles so that he could take everything in. Margaux's workshop was small but not cramped, and well-lit so that she could see what she was doing. There was enough room for a wide workbench by the wall, scratched and stained. There were engine parts scattered across it, all completely foreign to him.

Margaux watched as he tilted his head up, his gaze moving around the room with wonder. It was only her little workshop, nothing special, she didn't even have any advanced equipment just whatever she could get from the local shop, but Gardner seemed intrigued.

She let her gaze follow the line of his jaw, angled wonderfully as he arched back, then down the length of his neck, lingering on his Adam's apple. He made a sound in his throat, a surprised sort of 'hmm' that made Margaux meet his eyes again, worried that she'd been caught. But Gardner was smiling at the sight of his watch, resting on a small cushion to keep it safe amongst the sharp tools that also crowded her workbench.

"How long have you been fixing things?"

"Since I was little." Margaux was glad he was distracted and didn't notice her smile slip. "My mum wanted me to have a skill under my belt just in case things went south with whatever I decided to do. Turns out, what I wanted to do was fix things. So that worked out pretty well, I think."

Margaux shut the door behind her and moved towards her workbench. To get round all the equipment that filled the room, she had to slip past Gardner, pressing close against him with a quick 'sorry, 'scuse me'. Gardner could feel his face burning and hoped he wasn't bright pink.

"What about you?" Margaux asked. "Have you always wanted to be a postman?"

"Carrier."

"Sorry. Have you always wanted to be a postman carrier?"

She shot him a grin and Gardner shyly returned it. "I've never really thought about doing anything else. But this is only temporary. I'm still figuring things out."

"Aren't we all." Margaux shrugged. "Nothing wrong with that. If you're happy, you're happy."

Gardner stared at her, stunned. That must have been the first time someone apart from Calvin had said he was fine just the way he was. He knew it was good to try new things and get out of his comfort zone but he liked his job, he liked his town, he liked his life, and he didn't think there was anything wrong with that.

"This thing was seriously waterlogged. What did you do? Wear it in the shower?" Margaux asked, not noticing his stunned expression as she rubbed a cloth over the watch's face.

Gardner let his fingertips graze the top of an arcane machine laid out on another table. "Someone threw it in the river."

Margaux pulled a face and made a disgusted sort of noise that made Gardner look back up again.

"That's an awful thing to do,” Margaux scowled. “What a bastard. Who would do that?"

He laughed, not sure whether to agree or not. He liked how honest Margaux was, in what she said and how she said it. It didn't occur to him that it was the first time he'd ever laughed about what happened last year. Enough time had passed that he could look back on last summer without feeling his gut twist and he hadn't even noticed.

Margaux carefully passed him the watch and Gardner took it with two hands, turning it over so that the face glinted in the artificial light. The second hand was ticking again, beating a steady rhythm he'd felt lost without. She'd even replaced the strap, which had been wearing thin even before Paige took it. It looked good as new, better even.

"Thank you, Margaux," he said, giving her a genuine, soft smile that made her heart thud. "How much do you..?"

"Oh, nothing." Margaux waved him off. "Don't worry about it."

"But this is how you earn a living."

She gestured for him to give the watch back and he did so without hesitation. Margaux carefully took his left hand, turning it over so that she could wrap the watch around his wrist.

Gardner gazed at her, taking in the little details of her face that he hadn't been able to see before. There was a tiny scar on her top lip, and some green in the brown of her eyes. She smelt faintly of engine parts and metal, just like Calvin did when he came home from work, and of something soft and flowery, like the marigolds that lined her garden.

"Call this one a favour."

Margaux's hands paused and she flicked her warm gaze up to meet his, her bottom lip caught between her teeth, either from concentration or from habit, he couldn't be sure. Her fingers rested just above his wrist and Gardner worried she'd be able to feel how fast his heart was beating. Slowly, Margaux began to smile and she let go of his hand.

"It was an honour, Mr. Postman."

Gardner knew his face was bright pink so he looked down at his watch, hoping she wouldn't notice. "Thank you, Margaux," he said, his voice coming out a lot softer than he intended.

His heart sank when he saw the time. On Fridays, the Pecan Lane Philatelic Society met up a little earlier than usual. If he didn't leave soon, he wouldn't have time to shower and change before the meeting began.

But he didn't want to go, not yet. He enjoyed Margaux's company. She had this way of talking, this air about her that made him want to be near her all the time. Gardner could waste away the whole day talking to her, but he couldn't let his friends down.

Regretfully, he met Margaux's gaze. "I have to get going." He might've been imagining it but he thought he saw a flash of disappointment cross her face, but then she waved her hand again.

"Don't let me keep you."

"No, no, you're not," Gardner said quickly. "I like..." He choked, stumbled, and rethought his words. "I just... I have a prior thing."

Margaux raised her eyebrows, smiling. "You got a party?"

Gardner nervously shifted from foot to foot, reluctant to tell her about the meeting. But then he remembered what Margaux said yesterday, how sincere she had been when she talked about his work, how genuinely interested she seemed to be in him.

Gardner ducked his head, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "My friends from work, we have this club."

Margaux's face lit up. "Oh, well, I'm sorry, Gard, but you're not going anywhere until you tell me everything."

Gardner was so surprised by the nickname, he didn't realise he was telling her about the Pecan Lane Philatelic Society until he was done.

Margaux couldn't stop smiling if she tried. Every single word Gardner said just made her melt. She couldn't understand it, no one had ever made her feel so warm before, she felt happy just at the sight of him. And now he had a stamp club. He got better by the minute.

"That is the sweetest thing I've ever heard," she said, feeling her heart stumble when Gardner bashfully looked down at his watch again. "Please, don't let me make you late."

Margaux bustled him out of her workshop, closing the door behind her, then back through her house to the door. Gardner stooped to scratch Ada's head before he stepped outside into the warm afternoon air.

Margaux stayed inside, leaning against the doorframe, her cat weaving between her ankles. "Have fun." She gave him a little wave. "Take a photo of any cool stamps you find, I'd love to see them."

Gardner paused on the porch step, one foot frozen in mid-air. He turned around to face her, frowning. "You... You want to see my stamps?"

Margaux shrugged. "If they're important to you, they're important to me."

Gardner's lips parted slowly, not sure whether he was more surprised or confused. He made to leave again but only got halfway. In fact, he turned away several times before he made up his mind.

Margaux thankfully didn't see any of this, she'd already started to close the door, but he called out to her just before she disappeared from sight.

"Margaux, would you..?"

She stopped and opened the door again, still smiling. "Yeah?"

To his dismay, Gardner's courage faltered. He could practically hear Calvin making fun of him as he back-peddled.

"Do you, uh, have a card?" He winced, hating himself for not thinking of something better. "My brother's got some things that need fixing, so I thought..."

Margaux shook her head. "Oh, no, sorry, I don't."

Gardner nodded, mentally kicking himself for not being brave enough. He raised his hand in a little wave and stepped off the porch.

"But I can give you my number? You can call me if you ever need help with anything?"

Gardner felt his heart plummet inside his chest. When he turned around again, Margaux had disappeared back inside. When she emerged again, he still hadn't quite recovered. She stepped out into the sunshine and took his hand, quickly scribbling her phone number on the inside of his palm.

When she met his gaze again, there was a glint in her dark eyes, as if she knew exactly what kind of effect she had on him, though perhaps that was just his imagination.

"Call me anytime, Mr. Postman," she said, then turned and slipped back inside.

Gardner stared at her front door, then down at the palm of his hand.

He floated home in a dreamy haze. It wasn't until he walked through the front door that the reality of what happened finally dawned on him.

"I got her number."

"What?" Calvin stuck his head around the kitchen doorway.

Gardner leaned back against the door, his eyes unseeing. "I have... Her number."

"What!" Calvin squeaked. "How did that happen?"

"I'm not sure."

Gardner looked down at his palm, worried he'd sweated the number off, but no, there it still was, printed on his skin.

He looked up at his brother. "I... I need to sit down."


	5. Chapter 5

The local supermarket was far too busy for anyone to be comfortable. Saturday mornings were for lie-ins, for taking it easy, having a late breakfast and loafing around in pyjamas, but Calvin had got it into his head that he just  _had_  to recreate this recipe he found in a magazine and acted as if the world was going to end if he didn't do it right away.

Gardner just wanted to go back to bed. Calvin had dragged him along to help carry all the ingredients home and he wasn't pleased. The weekends were the only time he ever got to sleep late and now that he'd moved into the house permanently, he enjoyed his lazy days in bed, listening to the radio and organising his stamp collection.

Still, he supposed it was nice to spend some time with his brother, even if he was being desperately indecisive about whatever he was making.

Gardner picked a jar of something green and swimming in brine off the shelf and turned it over. He pulled a face when whatever it was bumped against the glass and turned to show Calvin but he was distracted by the shelves upon shelves of spices before him.

Gardner sighed and turned to put the ominous-looking jar back on the shelf but almost dropped it when he heard a familiar voice. He looked round just in time to see a familiar figure pass by the end of the aisle, a flash of red.

Gardner immediately began to panic. He wanted to pretend he hadn't seen Margaux and hide until one of them left the shop, but no matter how he tried, he found himself drawn towards her.

He followed the sound of her voice until he reached the end of the aisle where Calvin was trying to decide between two identical oranges. Gardner lost sight of Margaux and felt his heart sink, disappointed and relieved all at once. But then there she was, just a few feet away, piling apples into her basket.

"That's her."

Calvin looked annoyed that he'd interrupted his train of thought but perked up when he realised what he'd said. Any mentioned of a 'her' was always worth his attention.

"What?" His head bobbed like a chicken's as he looked around. "Her who?"

" _Her_ ," Gardner hissed, not-so-subtly nodding in the right direction. "Margaux."

Calvin immediately stopped what he was doing to stare at her, much to Gardner's embarrassment.

"Oh,  _that_  her." He whistled, impressed. "She is  _fine_ , Gard."

Gardner flushed, hitting his brother's arm. "Calvin, please, she'll hear you."

"You're right, you're right, don't wanna step on your toes."

Gardner rolled his eyes. He moved to walk back down the aisle, trying to keep out of Margaux's eye-line, but then his brother shot him a wide grin. He knew that look. This wasn't going to be good.

Calvin stepped into the middle of the produce section and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Hey, Gardner!" He called, loud enough for the whole shop (and more importantly Margaux) to hear him. "Gardner, have you found the peaches yet?"

"Calvin, no!" Gardner moved to grab his brother's arm and pull him out of sight when-

"Gardner?"

His heart thumped against his ribs, surprised and excited and nervous all at the same time when he found Margaux standing there, smiling widely at him.

"Margaux." He let go of Calvin's arm and took a slight step back, hoping she wouldn't ask why he'd been about to throttle his brother.

"I almost didn't recognise you without your shorts," she said with a grin that made a pink blush start to creep from his cheeks, down his neck.

Calvin looked expectantly between his brother and the woman at Number Nineteen. When Gardner didn't say anything, too tongue-tied to even say 'hello' properly, he decided to step in.

"Nice to meet you, Margaux. I've heard a lot about you."

She frowned, surprised. "You have?" She looked at Gardner, beaming as he tried to stutter through an explanation.

"Gaux, is there a difference between cream cheese and soft cheese?"

A man rounded the end of the aisle, his gaze fixed on the small tub of cheese that was perplexing him. He was tall, much taller than Gardner, and annoyingly handsome. Gardner felt his heart sink as he approached but tried not to let his disappointment show.

When he realised Margaux had company, the man gave them an apologetic smile. "Oh, hey."

"Gabe, this is Gardner," Margaux said, then shot him a grin that made him melt. "He carries postmen."

If her introduction surprised Gabriel, he didn't show it. Perhaps he was used to Margaux's sense of humour, or perhaps he just wasn't listening properly. He gave them a small wave.

"Nice to meet you."

Gardner could feel his brother's stare burning holes in the side of his head. He was relieved when Calvin stepped forward to introduce himself because he still couldn't get his tongue to work properly.

"I'm Calvin."

Margaux brightened, placing him at last. "You're Gardner’s brother! I've heard a lot about you too. It's nice to meet you."

Gardner felt Calvin clap a hand down on his shoulder but he was altogether too stunned by this whole experience to react. All he could do was stare at Margaux and let Cal do the talking.

"You talk about me?" Calvin laughed. "That is my brother to a T, just chatter, chatter, chatter."

Margaux glanced at Gardner, still catatonic. She gestured to the man still gazing worriedly at the tub of cheese he'd picked up. "This is my cousin Gabriel. We're just doing some shopping for my aunt."

"Cousin," Gardner repeated dumbly, feeling relief wash over him like warm water. He couldn't keep the grin from his face. "That's great. Really great to meet you."

Gabriel gave him a politely confused smile. "You too." He gently took Margaux's basket from her and nodded in the direction of the tills. "I'm gonna go pay for these."

Gardner felt his heart sink all over again, disappointed that she was leaving so soon. As nervous as she made him, he loved talking to Margaux, loved the way that she looked at him, the way she made him feel. Usually, talking to girls left him a sweating mess; Margaux made him feel ten feet tall.

He began to say goodbye, consolidating himself with the thought that at least he'd see her on Monday, but as her cousin left with their shopping, Margaux stayed where she was.

"I missed you this morning." She gently nudged his arm. "I've got used to seeing you every day. How's the watch?"

Gardner nodded quickly. "Good. It's great."

Calvin looked between the pair with thinly-veiled exasperation. Though he knew Gardner would chastise him for it later, he cleared his throat, interrupting the little moment they shared.

"Do you like Skee-Ball?"

Margaux blinked. "Sorry?"

"Skee-Ball. You know..." He mimed throwing the ball and almost knocked over a pyramid of cereal boxes, making Margaux laugh.

"I dunno, I've never played."

"You should come to Betsy's Bar, that's where we always play. They do two-for-one cocktails on Thursdays. See you there some time?"

Gardner could only gawk at his brother and almost told him to  _shut up, please, shut up, shut up right now, oh, my God,_  but Margaux laughed again.

"Yeah, alright. Sounds fun."

She looked over her shoulder at the sound of her name and saw Gabriel standing by the door, ready to leave. She sighed and turned back to the boys with an apologetic smile.

”I have to go. But it's been nice to meet you, Calvin." She met Gardner's gaze and, feeling brave, she gave him a wink. "See you on Monday, Mr. Postman."

Gardner's mouth was still agape so he closed it with a snap. He summoned a faint smile, giving her a little wave he regretted even as he was doing it. "Bye, Margaux."

She chuckled at the look on his face and began to follow after her cousin.

"Remember, Skee-Ball!" Calvin called after her.

Margaux span around, walking backwards, and traced a cross over her heart. "I will!" Then to Gardner, "You'll have to teach me how to play."

Too stunned to reply, he just nodded, but that seemed to be enough. She gave him one last sweet smile then followed her cousin out of the supermarket.

Gardner watched her walk away, still processing all that had just passed between them. When he'd gathered his senses, he turned to his brother. "Did you just... Ask her out for me?"

Calvin shrugged. "Well, you weren't going to."

* * *

Margaux slid into the passenger seat of Gabriel's battered, old Ford Ranger, grumbling when she accidentally trampled one of their shopping bags under her feet.

"Who were those guys?" Gabriel asked.

Margaux smiled to herself. "My postman and his brother." She sat back in her seat, waiting for him to start the engine. When he didn't move, she looked up and found Gabriel giving her a dubious look. "What?"

"It's kinda weird that your only friends are your mailman and his brother."

"Well, I only just met his brother, so it's just Gardner really."

Gabriel sighed. He checked his reflection in the rear-view mirror, running his tongue over his teeth, and Margaux barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes.

"You should put yourself out there more, meet some people your age, have fun."

Margaux turned away to look out of the window, gritting her teeth. "Just drive, Gabriel."


	6. Chapter 6

Gardner barely had his hand on the front gate before he heard the music curling towards him through the warm, morning air.

_'Like a fool, I went and stayed too long, now I'm wondering if your love's still strong. Ooo, baby, here I am, signed, sealed, delivered, I'm yours!'_

Margaux grinned at him from her usual spot, her feet propped up on the table she was sat at. A pair of red, heart-shaped sunglasses shielded her eyes from the sun.

He couldn't stop smiling, even if he wanted to. This girl was something else. "Hi, Margaux."

"Good morning, Mr. Postman."

She removed her feet from the table and turned down her music in one smooth motion, still grinning at him. Gardner didn't think anyone had ever looked as pleased to see him as Margaux always did.

"I have something for you," he said before he lost his nerve. He dug into his mailbag, turning a little further than necessary to hide his pink face "From my brother." He pulled out the slightly squashed orange and cinnamon cake that Calvin had baked over the weekend. "He's embarrassing but a really good baker."

Gardner had been debating whether to give it to her throughout his walk, going back and forth with himself all morning. Calvin had pressed it into his hands just before he left the house, insisting that he give it to Margaux. Gardner was too afraid to ask if he’d decided on a whim that his latest creation should be a gift for the lovely lady at Number Nineteen, or if he'd planned it all along.

Margaux could hardly believe her eyes as he passed her the wodge of cake wrapped in Clingfilm. She couldn't remember the last time someone had given her a gift. "That's... That's so lovely. God, it smells great, Gard." She raised her sunglasses so that she could look at him properly. "Tell him thanks for me. And thank you for delivering it."

"It's my job." Gardner shrugged, shooting her a rare, confident smile.

Margaux was so stunned, both by the gift and his lovely smile, that she couldn't help stepping forward and quickly kissing his cheek. Gardner stared at her in surprise and she panicked for a moment, afraid she'd been too forward, but then he began to smile, his cheeks pink.

Trying to hide how relieved she was, Margaux smiled back, raising the cake and nodding towards her house. "I'm gonna eat this right now. Do you want some?"

Gardner didn't get a chance to reply. Margaux hopped over the front step and disappeared inside. He hesitated, hand nervously clutching the strap of his bag. Gardner could hear her clattering around in the kitchen. He almost chickened out, but the promise of spending more time in Margaux's company gave him the courage to push open the door and step inside.

When he found his way into the kitchen, Margaux had already cut up the cake. He couldn't help laughing, it was only a small cake but instead of cutting off a couple of slices, she'd split the whole thing in two, half for him and half for her.

"Hang on, lemme get you a cuppa," Margaux said, moving rapidly around the kitchen between cupboards and drawers as she fished out two mugs and the teabags.

Gardner watched her move with a fond smile. He couldn't be sure what it was, perhaps the excitement in her voice as she chattered away, asking him how he liked his tea, asking about his route, but Gardner got the distinct impression that Margaux didn't often have company. Again, he wondered if she was lonely.

She pressed a mug into one of his hands and a plate in the other, asking if he wanted to stay in the house or sit outside. It was a nice day so they decided to head back out onto the porch. Instead of sitting at the table, they plonked themselves down on the bottom porch step.

It was the first time she'd appeared nervous. Usually, Margaux was extraordinarily relaxed, lounging about like a cat on a warm day. A small part of him wondered if it was because of him but it was drowned out by the much larger, rational part of Gardner’s head that almost didn't want to believe that someone could like him like that.

She smiled at him, that bright, wonderful smile that made Gardner feel like the most important person in the world, and said,

"I like your hat."

"Thank you."

Margaux's smile grew when Gardner self-consciously touched the brim of his uniform helmet.

"I like, uh..."

Margaux chuckled as he trailed off. "It's alright, Mr. Postman, you don't have to return a compliment."

"I wasn't going to."

"... Right."

"I mean-" Gardner huffed, embarrassed. He struggled to hold her gaze as he said, "I was going to say, I like  _you_."

Margaux stared at him for a moment, her lips parted in surprise. Gardner's heart was in his throat. He almost apologised and took it back but then her shocked expression was split by an enormous smile.

"Right," she said again, biting her lip to try and hold back her grin but with little success.

Gardner's face felt so hot, he had to take a sip of his drink, which he forgot was still steaming. He burnt his tongue but tried to play it off like he was just enjoying his tea but he had a feeling Margaux saw right through him. He sighed, keeping his gaze on the floor for a moment while he tried to formulate what he wanted to say to her in his head.

Margaux waited patiently. He loved that about her, how she always gave him time to say what he wanted, never interrupting or speaking for him. There was a lot he loved about her, but he pushed that thought to the back of his head for another time.

"Linda's back from vacation tomorrow," he said at last, his gaze flicking back up to meet hers. "Today is my last day."

Margaux's smile disappeared. She didn't even try to pretend that she wasn't disappointed. "Oh." She looked down into her tea, turning the mug around in her hands a few times when she felt the urge to fidget. "That's a shame. I like seeing you every day."

Gardner smiled softly, looking down at the ground again. She was so close, her side against his. Even through his two shirts, he could feel the warmth of her.

"What are you gonna do now?"

"What?"

Margaux cracked a smile but it didn't quite meet her eyes. "Now that you're not a postman carrier anymore."

Gardner's forehead creased as he frowned, his nose wrinkling. "I don't really know."

"Well, the world's your lobster, Gardner. You're smart and kind, you can do whatever you want to do."

Margaux sipped her tea and leaned back against the steps. She gazed at him, her funny new friend, wondering what it was about him that made her feel completely and utterly at home for the first time in years.

"I want- If it's alright, I'd still like to see you," he said hurriedly, as if he wanted to get it out before he stopped himself.

Margaux's lips parted in surprise; Gardner tried not to stare.

"Me?"

Smiling, he nodded. "You."

Gardner wished he could understand why Margaux looked so astonished. He almost panicked, thinking he'd said something wrong.

How could he know? How could he know just how long it had been since anyone had told Margaux they wanted to spend time with her? How long it had been since anyone had cared about her? Since she had a friend?

She looked away, pressing her lips together. Although her little street was alive with activity, people cycling by, birds singing in the trees, cars roaring in the distance, the silence that fell over them was all-enveloping.

When Margaux finally replied to him, there was no smirk on her face, no clever looks. For the first time since they met, there was just gentle honesty.

"Well, I'm still not entirely sure what Skee-Ball is but I'd love to try it."

Gardner brightened considerably. He didn't think she'd agree in a million years. "You and me and Calvin?"

"Sounds fun. Thursday?" When Gardner nodded enthusiastically, Margaux laughed, looking much more like her usual self. She finished off her tea and rose to her feet. "I have to get going, I’ve gotta drop this toaster off for someone on Turner Way."

Gardner waited on the front step whilst she disappeared back inside to grab the toaster. When she reappeared, Margaux was shoving the last of her slice of cake into her mouth with so little decorum that he couldn't help laughing.

"That cake is gorgeous, Gard. Please thank your brother for me."

He stepped aside so that she could tumble down the steps in her usual rambunctious way. He followed Margaux to the front gate, holding it open for her, and she thanked him, grinning from ear to ear.

"Can I walk with you?" Gardner asked, feeling extraordinarily brave all of a sudden. He'd do anything to spend just a little more time with her. "We're going in the same direction but you can say no if you-"

"As if I could ever say no to you." Margaux gently cut him off before he got himself lost in an apologetic jumble of words. She readjusted her grip on the boxy old toaster, closing the gate behind her with the toe of her shoe. "Come on, I wanna hear about these stamps."

As they began to walk, the warm sunshine on their backs, Gardner hesitated before finally starting to list the stamps they'd exchanged at last week's Philatelic Society meeting. 

He spoke slowly at first, uncertainly, just waiting for Margaux to tell him that she was only kidding and she actually couldn't care less, but she didn't. In fact, she held his gaze as often as she could, listening intently and only interrupting to ask questions. Soon, he was almost breathless as he described his favourite stamps and the history behind them.

"Did you know the first adhesive postage stamp was made in England?" he said, thinking she'd be interested considering it was part of her adopted country's history. "It was called the Penny Black and was first issued on May 1st 1840."

"It had Queen Victoria on it, right?" Margaux asked, remembering something she’d read years ago.

"So you do know," Gardner smiled nervously, more than a little flustered by the thought.

"I prefer the way you tell it. What else you got?"

Gardner looked down at the sidewalk, hands in his pockets. "People usually ask me to stop."

Margaux came to a halt suddenly, frowning. "I'm not people." She nudged his arm with her elbow, almost dropping the toaster in the process. "Gardner, I could listen to you talk all day. Come on, tell me more about this collection of yours."

"You could listen to me all day?"

Margaux rolled her eyes but she was blushing. "Come on, we both know I think you're God's gift."

She started walking again, leaving him stunned. Actually, he didn't know that but her sudden confession made his heartbeat pick up. Gardner watched Margaux walk away, entranced by the click of her shoes and the swing of her hips. He swallowed thickly and followed after her, the feeling of her lips on his cheek still as clear as if it had just happened.


	7. Chapter 7

The post office did not feel the way it used to, or rather, it didn't make  _Gardner_  feel the way it used to. After seven years of service, he knew this little building like the back of his hand. It once felt like a second home, part of a larger whole made up of small pieces of Austin. Now, it was just a building.

The only good thing about it was that he got to see his friends. As usual, Dale, Strawberry and Linda were already in the staff room when he arrived. They all greeted him with bright smiles, especially Linda, who even hugged him as she thanked him for taking over her route for her while she was away.

She handed him a tiny statue of the Eiffel Tower, a souvenir from her travels. Gardner smiled as he turned it over in his hands, pressing the pad of his thumb against its pointed top. He thought of Margaux and his smile grew.

"How'd everything go? Any problems?"

Gardner slipped the little statue into his pocket for safekeeping, shaking his head as he crossed the room to the coatrack. "No, no problems."

He carefully hung up his old uniform. He'd forgotten to return it last time, when he was let go. He was surprised that he didn't get an angry letter from the United States Postal Service. Perhaps Mr. Hassler had taken pity on him and not reported him.

Gardner remembered how his old boss had apologised for having to ask him to leave, calling him 'son' which he hated. He hadn't seen Hassler since, Linda had organised her replacement and no one had kicked up any fuss. Gardner wondered if he should talk to him while he was here, or if he should just leave and never look back.

He smoothed his hands down the front of the freshly ironed shirt, feeling the familiar material under his palms for the last time. He felt a stab of sadness, nostalgia. This job had carried him, given him purpose and direction when he was feeling lost. But maybe it was time to find something new.

"You make any friends?" Linda asked, seating herself at the table.

Even Gardner understood that it was a thinly-veiled jab at his eventful last summer.

"Linda," Dale hissed, a warning.

"What? The kid deserves a little fun, don't you think? After, uh..." She trailed off, unsure how to put it delicately. "What happened."

Dale gave her a pointed look. "Gardner probably doesn't want to talk about that."

"It's okay," Gardner said quietly, turning around to face his friends. "I did actually."

"What?"

"Make a friend."

Linda raised her eyebrows, happily surprised. "Which house?"

"Nineteen Marigold." He smiled, subconsciously brushing his fingers against his cheek where Margaux had kissed him yesterday.

To his surprise, Linda began to laugh. Beside her, Dale and Strawberry were smiling. She wiped the tears from her eyes, her laughter still catching like the worn-out clutch of an old car.

"Oh, you poor son of a bitch," Linda said, trying to catch her breath. "Boy, she'll eat you for breakfast."

Dale and Strawberry gave 'ooo's of approval. Gardner couldn't help thinking he wouldn't mind that at all.

Linda was still shaking her head, not sure whether to feel proud or exasperated. "This the girl who's always out front fixing something?"

"Yeah, that's her job."

"This girl, you should see her," Linda said, turning to her friends. "She's beautiful and handy with a wrench."

More 'ooo's of approval made Gardner's face feel hot.

"You do have a type don't you, kid," Strawberry laughed, sipping his coffee.

Gardner scowled, but he was more embarrassed than cross. "Margaux's nothing like..."

He regretted it the moment the words left his mouth. Everyone fell silent. They all knew exactly what he was about to say before his mouth caught up with his brain.

Gardner's scowl softened then disappeared altogether. He hadn't spoken about Paige since they broke up. Well, he supposed they were never really dating, so they didn't break up. Still, it was an uncomfortable topic. His friends weren't really sure how to talk about it, no matter how amicable their parting had been.

"So you like her, huh?" Dale smoothly picked up the conversation again. "You gonna ask her out?"

Gardner felt his heart thud. He realised he was smiling. "I already have."

He felt his face heat up when they all exploded into cheers.

"Fast mover!”

“Atta boy, Gardner."

"Where're you taking the lucky lady?"

"Me and Calvin are teaching her how to play Skee-Ball down at Betsy's." He frowned as their smiles vanished and his friends all suddenly groaned. "What?"

" _Skee-Ball_?"

"With your  _brother_?"

Linda shook her head. "That's not exactly a hot date, kid."

"It's not meant to be a date," Gardner said quickly, trying not to sound too defensive. "We're just... Hanging out." He winced as his words fell flat, landing heavily at his feet.

It  _wasn't_  a date, they  _were_  just hanging out, but it was painfully obvious to everyone, including himself, that he wouldn't mind at all if it was.

"Listen," Linda sighed. "If you wanna get your damn leg over, you're gonna need more than Betsy's Bar and arcade games."

Gardner sucked in a sharp breath that made him choke slightly. "Okay," he said, his throat suddenly feeling tight. "Great seeing you guys again." He hurried towards the door, glancing back at Linda to quickly add, "I'm glad you had a good vacation." Then he left the room, only ducking his head back round the door to politely add, "See you on Friday."

He was moving so quickly in the direction of the exit that he didn't realise he wasn't alone in the corridor. He walked right into Mr. Hassler.

"Gardner!”

His old boss seemed surprised to see him but he greeted him with a friendly, if thin, smile.

”How're you doing, son?" He saw Gardner glance away and made to apologise, remembering what he'd said the last time they spoke, but Gardner answered him before he got the chance.

"I'm doing okay."

He scratched at his jaw just for something to do with his fidgeting hands. Something about seeing his old boss again made him feel a little sick. He felt bad that they'd parted on such bad terms; Hassler had been a good boss, taking Gardner under his wing when he was still just a kid and teaching him everything he knew.

Still, he couldn't forget how callously Hassler had let him go. Seven years of good service, always going above and beyond his duty, his record spotless, and a few little mistakes had been enough to get him the sack.

For someone who seemed to see himself as a father figure, Hassler had turned him away when he needed guidance the most. Gardner supposed he should be used to people letting him down by now.

He gave Hassler a faint smile that didn't meet his eyes then turned to leave, but he stopped him before he could get too far.

"You know, I’ve been thinking..." Hassler pressed his lips together, choosing his words with care. "It really hasn't been the same around here without you. Maybe I was a little hasty when I asked you to leave."

Gardner's gut twisted. "You're giving me my job back?"

"Well, no, not as such," Hassler said quickly. He saw Gardner's shoulders sink and tried to ignore the cold guilt in the pit of his stomach. "You've been a real help this last week. We might be getting more funding when the new financial year starts. You could come back on a part-time basis? See how it goes?"

Gardner clenched his jaw, forcing himself to take a moment and think before he gave his answer. He'd always thought he'd spend the rest of his life treading the sidewalks, bringing people their mail, but now that he'd had a year to think about his future, he wasn't so sure.

Was going back the easy option? He missed his friends, he missed his route and the pavement and all the simple, little things he loved about being a mail carrier, but things were different now.  _He_  was different now.

"Can I think about it?"

* * *

"Margaux!"

She looked up from the clock on the mantelpiece, a gold carriage clock with intricate hands and a clear face so that you could see the cogs of its heart turning.

"Where'd I put my damn wallet, have you seen it?"

Kevin was rattling about in the kitchen. He was one of her regulars, around sixty with a long white beard, a musician just like her brother. Perhaps that's why she liked him so much. Or maybe it was because he didn't trip over himself to treat her like a lady. In fact, most of the time he talked to her as if he didn't like her very much at all. It was very endearing.

"Why would I know where your wallet is?" Margaux called back, moving to lean against the kitchen doorway so that she could watch him search.

"I thought you knew everything," Kevin grumbled, rifling through all the clutter on the counters and, to her amusement, the cupboards too.

"I'm not a bloody mind reader, Kev." Margaux watched him struggle for a few moments then smiled. "Have you checked by the back door?"

Kevin looked reluctant to take her advice but he disappeared through the doorway. She could still hear him muttering under his breath as he went to the laundry room to check the back door. When he came back, his eyes were narrowed, his wallet in hand.

"Thought you said you couldn't read minds."

Margaux's smile grew. "Spooky, eh?"

Kevin shook his head, delving into his wallet to pull out a small stack of bills. "Will fifty do?" As he spoke, he gestured towards the fridge Margaux had come over to fix that morning.

"Oh, no," Margaux raised her hands, shaking her head. "No, Kev, that's way too much."

"No, come on. I insist."

"I already had the parts, it was only a quick fix."

"Please, Gaux. You've been a big help."

Kevin pushed the money into her hands, giving her a rare smile. "Take it. Have some fun with your friends."

Margaux felt a pang in her chest but forced a smile. She thanked him quietly, folding the money with care. "I should get a wriggle on," she said quietly, looking down at her feet for a moment before she gave him a more genuine smile. "Till next time."

Kevin said his goodbyes with his usual gruffness but made sure to thank her again one last time.

Margaux saw herself out, stopping to leave half the money he'd given her on the hallway table before she left the house.

She closed the screen door behind her, humming a tune under her breath as she slipped the rest of the money into her pocket beside the guitar capo she'd taken from the mantelpiece.


	8. Chapter 8

"This was a bad idea."

Calvin smiled when he saw his brother fretfully peer over at the door again, even standing on his toes to get a better look over the heads of the other people in the bar.

"What? No! C'mon, Gardner, it's gonna be great!"

It was early in the evening, just past seven, and Margaux should be arriving any minute. Calvin and Tracy were waiting patiently at the bar, already on their second drink each, but Gardner couldn't sit still. He smoothed down the front of his shirt, pulling at the hem, hoping it covered his soft middle well enough.

"Do I look okay?"

Tracy smirked as Gardner ran a hand through his hair for the twentieth time that evening. "I thought you said this wasn't a date."

"It isn't."

"I'm kinda glad," Calvin grinned at his girlfriend. "It'd be awkward if it was and we were here."

"It's just a night out," Gardner said, though he sounded as if he was trying to convince himself just as much as he was them. "Just four friends hanging out."

"Then why are you sweating so much?"

Gardner paled. "Oh, God, am I?"

"Gardner!"

They all turned to see Margaux waving from across the room. The moment he saw her, Gardner's heart lifted in his chest. He probably could've done a much better job of hiding just how happy he was to see her but he couldn't help it. As she carefully moved through the crowds towards them, he found he was holding his breath.

"Sorry," Margaux breathed out a huge sigh once she'd joined them, resting her hands on her hips. "I hate being late. You guys alright?"

Margaux's face was flushed, she'd obviously run part of the way, and her dark hair was sticking up at odd angles. Gardner had never seen her wear it down before. He knew he should try to talk, he knew he should be listening as Calvin introduced Tracy, he knew he should be doing anything other than staring at her like an idiot, but then Margaux's gaze met his and she gave him a small smile meant for him, just him, and he knew she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

"It's good to see you again." Calvin took the reins, sensing that his brother needed help. Gardner still hadn't said anything but that wasn't out of the ordinary, and to Calvin's surprise, it seemed Margaux didn't seem to mind either.

"It's good to see you too." Margaux beamed at them all, then dug into her bag. "This is for you. To say thank you for the cake." She brought out a slightly battered tin, patterned with purple and yellow stripes. "Sorry, they're not gonna be nearly as nice, your baking skills are far superior."

When Calvin opened the tin, he found it was filled to the brim with brownies. He grinned and immediately took a bite out of one, thanking Margaux through a mouthful.

Tracy took a brownie too then grabbed her drink from the bar. "You ready to play?"

When Calvin cheered, she laughed and led him through the crowd to the games room, leaving Gardner and Margaux alone. He met her gaze, offering her a shy smile which Margaux returned, though she wasn't nearly as bashful. He realised he still hadn't said a word to her that night. He wasn't sure if he could. Margaux looked so beautiful in her red dress, giving him that smile that made him melt.

"Hello, stranger."

She gently bumped her elbow against his, giving him another wonderful smile. Gardner hoped she didn't see him shiver at her touch. He still wasn't sure what it was about her, what it was about Margaux that just made everything feel alright, she just had this way of looking at him, this gentleness that let him know he didn't have to worry about her getting bored when he spoke too much, or confused when he didn't talk at all. He knew she was happy to be here with him.

"I've missed you. Three days is a long time to go without seeing my favourite postman."

Gardner had never been so relieved that the lights in the bar were low. He could feel his face heating up and turned and grabbed his drink, both to hide his face behind it and cool himself down.

Margaux watched him sip at his ludicrously decorated drink. She was trying to hide just how pleased she was to see him but she couldn't help herself. She  _had_  missed him. She missed seeing his happy little smile as he marched up her garden path, and the way she could make him blush with just a look, and how sweet and gentle he was, but still serious, attentive, always eager to keep the conversation going.

"How does Linda measure up?" Gardner asked once he thought he'd got his face back to a normal colour.

He hadn't, but Margaux didn't mind. She didn't mind at all. "She's a fantastic mail carrier, exemplary in fact." Margaux turned away to order her own drink, shooting him a grin. "But she doesn't have your smile."

Then the barman asked her what she'd like to drink and Gardner was left feeling hot under the collar, his knees a little weak.

Underneath her smiles, Margaux was nervous too. She wasn't sure what tonight was. A part of her hoped it was something close to a date, but Gardner had invited her to hang out with him and his brother. But then, Calvin had brought his girlfriend.

She didn't mind either way, Margaux was almost embarrassed by how much she wanted to spend time with Gardner, she didn't care if it was a romantic dinner or doing laundry. It was also just nice to spend time with people her own age. Much as she hated to admit it, Gabriel was right, she needed to leave her house more. It had been a long time since she'd had friends.

But the feeling she got in her chest and the pit of her stomach whenever Gardner gave her a tentative, shy smile betrayed how she really felt. She couldn't explain it, this gentle, lovely man and his stamp collection, she couldn't decide if she wanted to hold his hand and say sweet things to him, or press him against the wall and make him whimper her name. The thought made her face heat up. A little of both, she decided.

It terrified her, this feeling. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt like this, if ever. Gardner made her all stupid and blushy, which was not like her at all. Even Gabriel had noticed, after she bumped into Gardner at the supermarket, she smiled for the rest of the day, and he'd teased her about it ever since.

She glanced back at Gardner and saw that he was watching other people in the bar. He didn't seem to mind silences, didn't feel the need to fill them like she did. She watched as his gaze travelled across the room, smiling that little smile. He seemed to see things that other people didn't, or at least, he saw them in a different way.

With every new second she spent in his company, Margaux found herself wanting to ask him about it. She wanted to know everything there was to know about him, his likes, his dislikes, the time he always got up in the morning, his favourite song, who threw his watch in the river, what films always made him tear up, his favourite places to go, how he became a postman, how he liked his toast, anything, everything, she wanted to know it all. Margaux wanted to listen to him talk forever, watch the way his hands moved as he spoke, see the light in his eyes.

But Gardner was reserved, not shy, just careful. She thought he desperately  _wanted_  to talk to people,  _wanted_  to get close to them, but stopped himself. Margaux didn't want to push him or make him uncomfortable, but she was determined to let him know that he could be himself with her. She wasn't going anywhere.

"I hope you're gonna keep your word and teach me how to play," Margaux thanked the barman as he handed her a bottle of the cheapest beer they had. "I don't wanna embarrass myself in front of the whole bar."

Gardner offered her a shy smile. "I'm not very good either. I'm better at horseshoes." His heart skipped when Margaux laughed and for a moment, he worried it was at his expense, but then she shook her head, taking a sip of her drink

"You're so full of surprises."

She gave what he could only describe as a fond sigh.

"You're the most interesting person I've ever met, Mr. Postman. Everything you say is just... Not one word of it wouldn't interest me."

She saw his expression soften and knew, with a pang of anger on his behalf, that no one had ever told him that before. "How's the watch? Still working alright?" she said, changing the subject before she got too cross.

Gardner raised his hand, showing her that it was still ticking away happily as they moved away from the bar. "It's great. Thanks again."

"Don't thank me," Margaux nodded towards his brother as they entered the games room. "Just help me get good enough at this to beat Calvin."

Gardner grinned and it made Margaux's heart thud. "That won't take long."

Across the room, already lining up his first shot, Calvin made an affronted sound. "I heard that."

Skee-Ball, it turned out, was a lot more difficult than Margaux anticipated. She was by no means the athletic type but she was a pretty good shot. Skee-Ball was a whole new discipline, one that evidently took years of practice and patience, which she'd never had.

Gardner, on the other hand, was an incredibly patient man and she couldn't help but admire his quiet seriousness as he stepped up to have a turn. While her attempts rolled right into the biggest ring, he managed to get enough 100s to make a siren on top of the apparatus whir. He took pity on her after a while and tried to show her how to play, but it appeared this just wasn't her game. Still, Margaux was enjoying herself, and only partly because to help her throw properly, Gardner stood very close.

He looked nice tonight in his button-up shirt; at one point he rolled up the sleeves and she felt a little faint, much to her own embarrassment. She was grateful the feeling seemed to be mutual. Margaux was sure she saw him blush as his hand brushed hers, showing her the best place to aim for. She hadn't noticed how big his hands were before, a thought that made her face feel hot.

She even got on well with Tracy, who was so funny and better at Skee-Ball than Calvin and Gardner combined. She put it down to practice, she still worked in the bar and instead of cleaning up after closing, she would camp out in the games room and play until she could go home.

Whilst she was telling a story about how she once had to rescue a guy who got his arm stuck in one of the Skee-Ball holes, Gardner leaned over and quietly told Margaux he was going to get another drink, asking if she wanted anything, his breath tickling her neck. When she declined, he gave her a small smile and went back to the bar. Margaux tried not to watch him walk away, but not very hard.

When she focused back on the conversation, she found Tracy shooting her a knowing look. Margaux sheepishly ducked her head and went to roll another ball. She watched bitterly as it glanced off the edge of the ring, landing on the floor and careening under the tables and chairs in the corner. She looked over at Calvin and Tracy and saw their faces twist into the same look of sympathy.

Margaux laughed and went to collect her errant ball whilst Tracy took her turn. "So who's older, you or Gardner?"

"Me, but not by much."

Margaux crouched down to reach under the table. "How long have you two been brothers?"

"About twenty years."

She looked up at Calvin. He looked surprised that she'd guessed they weren't related, as if it weren't fairly obvious that he and Gardner looked nothing alike. Margaux had assumed half or perhaps stepbrothers, but the tension in his shoulders said otherwise. She gave him an understanding smile, letting him know that she didn't want to cause trouble. "Sorry, I shouldn't-"

"No, it's fine."

Tracy bumped her shoulder against his gently and that seemed to help him relax again. Perhaps she could sense, just like Margaux was beginning to, that Calvin would do anything for his brother, and vice versa.

Margaux was glad he didn't mind her asking, she'd never been very good at knowing when she'd overstepped a mark, and she liked Calvin, she didn't want to offend him.

He looked over at the bar, making sure that Gardner was out of earshot, then back at her. "It's not really my place to tell you about it."

Margaux nodded. "That's alright, I wouldn't ask you to." She understood, she was still a relative stranger. Just because she felt an instant connection didn't mean it was reciprocated.

"He really likes you, you know?"

"Yeah?" Margaux barely held back her grin. "I really like him too."

She finally got hold of the ball and straightened up, brushing down the front of her dress. It was the only one she owned, deep red and a little too short for her now, but she wanted to look nice for whatever tonight was, and Gardner certainly seemed to like it, judging by the way he'd been looking at her all night. The thought made her smile.

As she stepped up to roll again, Calvin fidgeted with the umbrella in his drink.

"Can you just..." He frowned, trying to think of the right way to phrase what he wanted to say. "You seem really nice but he's been... I don't wanna sound like an overprotective brother but Gardner's the most important thing in the world to me and he's been hurt by a lot of people." Calvin saw Gardner paying for his drink and quickly added. "Just go easy with him, please?"

"Easy like Sunday morning, me." Margaux's smirk slipped when Calvin didn't smile. She stepped back from the game, nervously turning the Skee-Ball over in her hands. "I promise, I wouldn't do anything to... I don't really know your brother yet, but I'd like to. If he'll have me."

That made Tracy laugh. "He'll have you."

Margaux felt embarrassment coil in her chest; even Gardner wouldn't have missed her insinuation. She looked at Calvin. When he nodded in agreement, Margaux had to take a swig of her beer.

Gardner came bounding back into the room, extraordinarily decadent drink in hand. He was smiling widely, completely oblivious of the depth of their conversation. "What're you guys talking about?"

"Skee-Ball."

"Cars."

Margaux and Calvin answered simultaneously. She looked around at him in surprise and found he was already looking at her, the same shock clear in his expression. They both looked away again, embarrassed, and so Tracy decided to intervene.

She clapped a hand down on Gardner's shoulder, pressing a ball into his hand and taking his drink from the other. "C'mon, Gardy, let's go another round."

They played for hours but the time flew by. Margaux was disappointed when Calvin yawned and stretched and decided to call it a night; she was having such a wonderful time. Gardner held out his hand, gesturing for her to go first and she led him out into the cool night air.

She watched Calvin and Tracy say goodnight to each other, interrupting themselves every few minutes to press sloppy but sweet kisses against the other's lips. Gardner shoved his hands in his pockets, shaking his head in mock disgust to make Margaux laugh.

It was never that cold in Austin, not like she was used to anyway, but it was chilly tonight and she regretted not bringing a jacket. She caught Gardner watching as she tugged at the sleeves of her dress and immediately stopped. She'd always been a little selfconscious about her arms; she'd never been slim by any standard, but after years of heavy lifting and hard work, her arms were toned and strong. She didn't feel like she belonged in a short-sleeved dress like this, but Gardner did.

"You come here a lot?" she asked, trying to block out the noise of Calvin saying goodnight to his girlfriend and to break the awkward silence that had fallen between her and her postman.

"There's not really a lot to do in this town." His hands were still deep in his pockets, his upper body turning from side to side slightly. "I'm sure London is a lot more exciting."

"I s'pose." Margaux gave him a small smile. "Never made me feel like this though."

Gardner wasn't brave enough to ask what she meant by that, so instead, he asked, "How old did you say you were when you moved to England?"

"Seven. I hated it at first. I had this really thick German accent and the other kids used to make fun of me."

"Do you miss Berlin?"

"Can't really remember it, or much of my German." Margaux brushed her fingertip against the end of her nose, a nervous habit. "My sister always said she might move back one day though, but she's a bit older than me."

Gardner smiled, surprised. "You have a sister?"

"Two actually." Margaux flattened out her hand, pointing at each of her fingers in turn with the other. "Juliette is the oldest, she took over my mum's garage when she retired. Then there's me, and then Renée's just finishing her masters in… Entomology or Palaeontology, I can never remember which, and then my brother Theo's the youngest, he's actually a violinist." Margaux looked up at him again with a lopsided grin. "And I'm a disappointment."

Gardner didn't think that could possibly be true but he decided to leave it for now. "Do they live here too?"

"No, just me."

"You must miss them."

"Yeah, I haven't been home in a while. Juliette does keep saying she's gonna come visit but... You know." Margaux glanced away for a moment, a blank sort of look on her face. When she met his gaze again, she changed the subject. "Calvin's nice. He seems like a good brother."

"He is."

"And I like his girlfriend. She's a lot."

"She is."

Margaux laughed, and Gardner felt a swell of pride. He decided he could probably very easily spend the rest of his life trying to make her happy.

Calvin had finally put Tracy down, or perhaps it was the other way around. Sensing their time together was drawing to a close, Margaux said, "I had a really nice time tonight, Gardner."

"You look really pretty," he blurted out. He knew that wasn't in any way related to what she'd said but if he didn't say it now, he never would. When he saw the surprised look on Margaux's face, his confidence evaporated. "Sorry, I meant to tell you earlier but I got distracted by... Well, you."

Margaux tried to hold back a smile, she really did, but then she saw the pink tinge to his cheeks and his nervous smile, and had to look away, biting back a grin. She wasn't used to compliments, but she thought she could be, if they came from him. "Thank you. You look lovely too."

Margaux's face softened and Gardner felt all the tension leave his body. He liked that look, that open, honest expression Margaux wore when she was just being herself instead of hiding behind jokes and clever smiles. He liked everything about her, but this was his favourite.

Calvin called her name and she looked over Gardner's shoulder to find him waving at her. It was time to go.

Margaux looked back at Gardner, suddenly feeling a burst of courage. "Does your brother like cats?"

Gardner frowned. "I think so?"

"Do you think he could look after mine on Saturday? I'm having lunch and hopefully dinner with someone and I just need to make sure they get in okay."

Gardner felt his heart sink but tried not to let his disappointment show. "Well, I- I could look after them, if you like?"

Margaux hummed, hefting her bag up onto her shoulder, preparing to go. "Ah, you're gonna be busy."

"I am?"

"Yeah, you're having lunch and hopefully dinner with me."

Margaux grinned, and suddenly Gardner couldn't think of a single reason not to be with her every day for the rest of his life, he was almost embarrassed at himself. Then her smile slipped a little.

"If you like," Margaux added. "I don't wanna force you to... I'd like to see you. We can just hang out."

Gardner laughed softly, nodding his head. "Okay. Yeah, I- Yes. That would be great."

"Cool." She could barely tear her gaze away from the shy smile that lit up his face, but Calvin was calling his brother's name. Margaux reached out and squeezed his broad shoulder before she turned and headed for home. "See you later, Mr. Postman."

Gardner found he couldn't stop smiling even if he wanted to. "I'm not a postman anymore," he called after her.

Margaux span around, walking backwards. "You're right! I'm gonna have to think of something else to call you." She gave him a wink that made his collar feel tight. "Until then, see you later, handsome." Then she turned back again and walked off into the night.

Gardner watched her walk away, waiting until she was out of sight to pump his fist in the air in celebration whilst Tracy and Calvin cheered him on.


	9. Chapter 9

The front gate of Number Nineteen slammed shut so hard that it rattled on its hinges.

"T'es qu'une égoïste, tu vas pas pouvoir t'enfuir pour toujours!"

Margaux watched her aunt storm across the road to where her car was parked, yelling back at her over her shoulder.

"Ta famille a besoin de toi et tu l'ignores juste pour jouer avec tes machines?"

Joséphine wrenched the car door open, shouting so loud that a few of Margaux's neighbours stopped working in their front gardens to watch.

Margaux flopped down on the top porch step, resting her elbows on her knees, propping up her chin as she watched her aunt. She didn't even try defending herself, there was no point.

"C'est la dernière fois que je te rends visite jusqu'à ce que tu commences à te comporter en adulte!"

The car door slammed shut. Margaux watched her aunt drive off through bleary eyes. She was furious at herself for letting her aunt get to her. This happened every time she visited, Margaux knew she should just ignore it, but from the moment she saw her aunt coming up the garden path till the moment she left, she felt almost overwhelmed with anxiety.

"Vieille conne," Margaux muttered under her breath. She sniffed, angrily brushing her tears away. "Tu sais pas de quoi tu parles."

"Margaux?"

Her head snapped up so fast, she was surprised she didn't hurt herself. Gardner was standing by the gate, his hand resting on top of it as if he'd just been about to come in when he saw her.

Margaux felt her heart lift at the sight of him. "Gardner, hi." She quickly wiped her face, getting up from the step as he pushed open the gate. She forced a smile that made the taught skin around her eyes sore.

Gardner's worried expression never wavered. "What's wrong?" he asked, carefully making his way towards her up the garden path.

Margaux swallowed thickly, dragging her hands down her face to get rid of the last of the wet on her cheeks. "Oh, nothing," She huffed, giving him a lopsided grin. "My neighbour's been cutting the grass." He opened his mouth, so she quickly changed the subject. "You," Margaux stepped forward, closing what little distance remained between them. "Are a sight for sore eyes." She laughed falsely, and he smiled at her feeble joke.

Gardner couldn't forget the look on her face when he approached the gate. He wasn't surprised to see Margaux out in her front garden - it almost seemed strange to find her anywhere else - but she was usually so bright and smiley, he didn't think he'd ever seen her look so sad before. He wanted to ask her about it but he wasn't sure how, and she clearly wanted to put it behind her, so instead he asked, "I am?"

Margaux shrugged. "I've had a bit of a morning. My aunt's just been round, worrying about me again."

"Why does she worry about you?"

"She wants me to get a real job, she doesn't think fixing things is a good use of my time. And look," she tapped her finger against her bottom lip, for once devoid of red lipstick. "I've split my lip. It's not my day, Gard."

He blushed at the nickname, it wasn't the first time she'd used it but it still made his heart pound. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, things are already starting to look up." Margaux gave him a smile that made his blush worse, looking him up and down quickly before she turned and scaled the porch steps. "So, what do you want to do today? Did you have any ideas?"

"Not really."

"Well," Margaux leaned through the front door, grabbing something hidden behind it. "I was thinking we could go to the shops, get as much food as we can carry and then sit by the river. What do you think?"

She straightened up, slinging a small backpack over her shoulders, and Gardner tried very hard to pretend that he hadn't been a little dazzled by her ass in those jeans as she bent over. "I think that sounds good," he said.

Margaux beamed back at him. "Me too."

* * *

 

Gardner had feared he wouldn't be able to think of anything to talk about. It was not the first time he and Margaux had been alone but today felt different somehow, and he was worried she would suddenly find him boring. But as they made their way into town, they talked so easily, Gardner couldn't remember why he was nervous.

Margaux led the way, guiding him towards the supermarket, but he didn't feel corralled. There was no pressure, no fear, they were just hanging out. Being with Margaux was the easiest and most wonderful thing in the world.

"Mon chou?"

Gardner blinked at her, then looked down at Margaux's hand which rested on his forearm. Now she had his attention, she moved away but Gardner could still feel the warmth of her, almost as if she were still touching him.

"Hey there, daydreamer. Do you wanna push the trolley or shall I?"

Gardner smiled. "Trolley."

"Cart, sorry."

"No, I like the way you say it."

Margaux scoffed and waved him off, turning away to hide her blush. Gardner took control of the cart, more than happy to let her lead him around the store, and wherever else she liked. He followed Margaux down the first aisle where all the fridges sat, both of them tugging at their short sleeves as goosebumps rose.

"Do you not get on with your aunt then?"

Margaux shrugged. "I do, she's really looked after me since I moved here. But she's a strict, old-fashioned French lady, very no-nonsense." She chucked a few things into the cart, glancing at Gardner for confirmation. This was his day too, she didn't want to get anything that he hated, but Gardner nodded happily and they moved on. "She'd much rather I had a 'proper' job. Or, even better, a husband."

She raised her eyebrows at him and Gardner couldn't quite meet her eyes. "It's nice that she cares," he offered.

Margaux nodded, trying to ignore the tight feeling in her chest. "I just wish she cared about 10% less." She gave him a weak smile before quickly changing the subject again. "How was your week? What've you been up to since I last saw you?"

"Not very much." Gardner stopped the cart beside the bakery, breathing in the sweet air while Margaux decided what she liked the look of. "I don't really lead an exciting life."

"Oh, that's right, you're an ex-postman carrier now. How's civilian life treating you?"

"I haven't decided yet. I liked my job. Maybe too much. I don't know." Margaux held up a loaf of bread in each hand, silently asking him to pick one without interrupting him, which made him smile. He pointed to the one of her left hand. "It's nice having a chance to just live for a little while but... I liked being needed."

Margaux very nearly said something very embarrassing about how  _she_  needed him but thankfully stopped herself in time. Instead, she said, "You pick the drinks; I trust your judgement."

She let him take the lead now. There weren't many people about even though it was a Saturday, so she was able to walk by his side with ease as they moved through aisle after aisle, plucking things from the shelves as they went.

When Margaux invited him to have lunch with her, this wasn't what Gardner was expecting. No, it was far much better. He'd spent so long dithering about what clothes to wear and trying to think of interesting things to say to her, but everything with Margaux was so relaxed, he didn't have to worry about being too quiet or talking too much, he could just be himself. It was how he felt when he was with Calvin, like he was at home, except Margaux made him considerably hotter under the collar.

"So, what kind of music do you like?" As she spoke, Margaux reached out and touched his arm again, just brushing her fingers against his elbow. He wasn't sure if it was to get his attention or if it was just something Margaux did. He wondered if she even realised she was doing it.

"I don't know."

"Oh, c'mon, Gardner, you must know."

"I like everything." He grabbed some chips and carefully placed them in the cart after Margaux had given her seal of approval. "I like the stuff you listen to."

"How do you know what I listen to?"

"You blast it from your porch every morning." Margaux laughed brightly and Gardner knew he'd never heard anything so lovely. "What was that song playing the third time we met?"

"The  _third_  time?" Margaux repeated, shaking her head in disbelief. She could barely remember what she had for breakfast and Gardner was able to pinpoint exactly what song was playing the third time they spoke? Her incredulity soon faded as she realised just how sweet that was.

"You know," Gardner coughed awkwardly, then half-sang, half-spoke in a small voice, "'Baby, we can talk all night, but that ain't getting us nowhere'." He blushed, worried about other people overhearing him, but Margaux's face lit up and that all faded away.

"Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad?"

"Yes! I love that song."

Margaux grinned at the excited look on his face. "Me too! Meat Loaf, he can do no wrong."

"I think so too."

"The  _drama_."

"Not enough songs have thunder and lightning in them."

"You know what? You're absolutely right." She laughed as she turned away to grab some cookies from the shelf. "How did Calvin meet his girlfriend? I forgot to ask."

"Tracy brought her car into the garage. Calvin fixed it."

"Just like I fixed your watch." Margaux only realised what she'd said when she looked up and saw the startled look on Gardner's face.  _Oh_. She really didn't mean to imply anything, she was just making a connection, though now, for the life of her, she couldn't remember why. Margaux stuttered and stumbled through the beginning of several apologies before finally settling on, "Strawberries or grapes?"

Gardner's surprised expression soon slipped into a small smile, growing bigger by the second when he realised that for once, Margaux was flustered by him. It was a feeling he knew he could get used to. "Strawberries," he said eventually, relieved when Margaux's smile returned.

She left him with the cart for few moments as she wandered down to the end of the aisle, an excuse to sort out her flushed cheeks. When she came back, she gently placed the strawberries in the cart and flashed him that smile. "I knew I liked you, Mr. Not-A-Postman-Anymore."

"Still working on that nickname?"

"I'm trying out some things, trying to figure out what will make you smile the most." Gardner looked down at his feet, a closed-mouth smile stretching across his face, feeling bashful all over again. Margaux nodded. "Yep," she said, reaching out and gently tapping the end of his nose, unable to help herself. "That's the one."

Gardner groaned softly under his breath, closing his eyes for second, trying desperately not to lean into her touch, brief as it was. He was very grateful that Margaux had already turned away, easily distracted. A stack of shelves lined with horrific garden ornaments had caught her attention and of course, she plucked the ugliest one from the shelf.

"Oh, Gardner," Margaux held up a small metal flamingo, awkwardly bent at the knees. "He's perfect. I want seven. God, I wish I could take him home."

Gardner joined her at the shelf. "Margaux, I'm going to say something to you and it's very important, so I want you to remember this," He raised his eyebrows. "You're an adult. If you want this horrible flamingo, you can buy it."

Margaux's expression turned serious. She turned and picked another garden ornament off the shelf, this one generously labelled 'peacock'. "You're an adult too, my darlin'. Wanna get matching ones?"

Gardner matched her grave expression and carefully took the little metal peacock. He tucked it under his arm with a firm nod. The smile she gave him put the moon and stars to shame.

"Gardner Langway, I've never loved anyone as much as I love you right now."

While they waited in line, Margaux tested out some other nicknames, just to make him laugh. Each one was sillier than the last and Gardner was laughing softly by the end, his head thrown back, eyes squeezed shut, his broad shoulders shaking. Margaux had ever seen anything so wonderful, just watching him smile, knowing it was because of her, it made her heart feel light.

As they moved down the queue, Gardner asked, "Your cousin called you 'Gaux'." He nervously curled his fingers towards himself. "Could I... I mean, would it be alright if I..."

Margaux gave him a funny, lopsided smile, her nose wrinkled. "To be honest, I've always hated that name, but I'm stuck with it now." She greeted the man at the checkout, starting to pile their shopping onto the conveyer belt. "But I don't mind, you can call me anything you want," She grinned. "And any time."

Gardner chose to ignore that comment for the sake of his own heart, which was already pressing hard against his ribs, pushing him towards her. "Calvin calls you the Lady In Red."

Margaux laughed, happily surprised. "Now that I like!"

Gardner smiled to himself as he helped her pile their shopping into the reusable canvas bags she pulled from her backpack. "What about just 'Mar'?"

"Fine by me. But maybe drop the 'just'."

"Oh, I didn't mean-"

"I know, love, I was only kidding." Margaux bumped her elbow against his. "I'm sorry, my aunt also thinks I joke too much."

"People think I don't joke enough. We balance each other out. But if it's any consolation, I like the way you talk."

Margaux looked up from her bag, surprised. She found she could hardly get the words out, her own smile getting in the way. The more rational part of her brain kept asking why she was allowing herself to fall so quickly, reminding her that she shouldn't just cling to the first man who'd showed any interest in her in god knows how long. But Margaux ignored it, that wasn't what she was doing at all, and anyway, she would much rather think about the faint pink glow to Gardner's face whenever she smiled at him.

"You, my friend, are something else." Margaux nodded behind her to the shelves of chocolate, mints, and candy that bordered the checkout. "Just for that, you get to pick to pick the sweets."

* * *

Although she'd lived in Austin for almost eight years, Margaux had never been down to this part of the river before. The sun was lazily making its way across the sky, already brushing the tops of the skyscrapers in the distance. It cast warm yellow light across the river, lighting up the trees, and making Gardner's hair seemed even redder. It was all Margaux could think about as he led her along the riverbank to a patch of grass.

He looked back at her over his shoulder, sending her an uncharacteristically relaxed smile as he turned in circles like a cat, searching for the best space to sit down. They didn't think to bring a blanket but that was fine by them. They flopped down in the grass, laughing softly when Gardner lost his balance and tipped onto his back.

"It really is a beautiful place." Margaux's gaze traced the outline of the city, digging into one of their bags for something to eat. "I've spent my whole life in cities. It's kinda strange seeing them from the outside. You ever thought about living anywhere else?"

"Sometimes." Gardner thanked her quietly when she passed him the chocolate he'd chosen. Dessert first, his kind of girl. "But I never liked the thought of living anywhere else as much as I did living here."

Margaux hummed thoughtfully. She could see what he meant. She looked across at him, smiling fondly when she saw him happily tucking into his food. He seemed relaxed. The last thing she wanted was for him to feel uncomfortable but Gardner seemed happy enough. Margaux reached out and gently squeezed his arm but her smile faded when she felt him tense under her touch.

"Sorry," she immediately pulled back, her eyes squeezed shut, embarrassed. "Sorry."

Gardner had already begun to relax, she'd just surprised him. He felt cold the moment her hand left his skin. "It's okay," he said quietly, but Margaux shook her head.

"I don't really get out that much, so I'm a bit..."

"I don't mind." Gardner smiled gently, ducking his head to try and meet her gaze. "I... I like it."

Margaux breathed a soft laugh, looking down at the sandwich in her hands. She picked at its edges, feeling what she wanted to say teeter on the tip of her tongue. She opened and closed her mouth a few times before she finally worked up the courage to speak. "I'm... I'm sorry about what I said. When I asked what you were gonna do next? I shouldn't have done that."

Gardner frowned, uncertain of what she meant and why she seemed so grave all of a sudden. "What do you mean?"

"You told me you weren't gonna be a mail carrier anymore and I asked what you were gonna do next. I've been thinking about it and I shouldn't have said that." Margaux knew her sentences were coming out a little muddled but she was so nervous, she couldn't help it. She'd been thinking about it all week, but it wasn't often that she spoke about her feelings and she found them hard to articulate. "You shouldn't feel like you have to be doing something all the time."

There was a brief pause. When Gardner didn't say anything, Margaux worried she'd embarrassed herself. She shouldn't have said anything, she should have just left it. But then Gardner spoke, his voice soft and low,

"Thank you."

She looked up and found he was smiling. It was a really lovely smile. Margaux returned it, feeling her nerves ebb away again. They both looked out at the river, watching as the lights from the city and the slowly setting sun made the water burn gold.

"Was it just a part-time thing, then? Carrying postmen?" she asks quietly, still not sure if it was a sore topic or not.

Gardner's lips twitched, wondering if she'd ever stop making that joke. He didn't mind as much as he thought he would, in fact, he didn't mind at all. He knew Margaux would never make fun of him, she was just trying to make him laugh. It made a nice change. "I was eighteen when I started there." He saw Margaux raise her eyebrows out of the corner of his eye, already anticipating her next question.

"What happened?"

Gardner opened his mouth then closed it again. He thought for a moment, realising that this was the first time he'd actually told anyone the whole story. Calvin knew the most, but there were bits and pieces he'd neglected to mention simply because it had felt too raw at the time. Now he'd had a whole year to process everything and it didn't feel quite so painful anymore. That ache was still there, dulled by time, by Hassler's offer had brought everything back.

He told her everything, he told her what it was like when he first started at the Post Office, he told her about how hard he found making friends, he told her what he loved about his route and about the people he saw every day, and how even though he never spoke to any of them, not really, he missed them and felt that they must miss him too, in a way.

Gardner told her about his then looming twenty-fifth birthday, about what his friends had said, the poem with the two roads, about how unsure of himself he'd felt after years of the same old routine. He didn't tell her about Paige, he didn't think it was important, not yet, anyway, not right now, but Gardner admitted that his attention had been elsewhere and after a few mistakes, his boss had fired him.

Until then, Margaux had been listening in silence, gratefully taking every word he handed her, honoured to be allowed to hear this story when it obviously meant so much to him. But at the mention of him getting fired, her face fell. She couldn't believe it, a few little mistakes after seven years of stellar service at a time when Gardner was obviously feeling lost… It set a fire in her. Margaux was furious. Anyone could see how dedicated Gardner was, how much he adored his job, every single little aspect of it. And it had been taken from him. But Margaux didn't say anything, she knew nothing would help.

Gardner could see the flicker of anger in her dark eyes. It only softened when he told her about Hassler's offer but didn't disappear entirely. It was the same quiet anger he saw in Calvin's face when he told him, the same look he saw for the first time in Calvin's mother's eyes when he told her his parents had left him. He could've cried from knowing Margaux cared about him that much.

"Are you going to accept it?" she asked quietly, drawing her knees up to her chest.

"I'm not sure."

"I meant it, you know. You're smart and kind, you can be anything you want to be. And you're surrounded by clever people who love you. There's nothing you can't do."

Gardner huffed, looking down at his hands to hide his pink cheeks but Margaux noticed anyway. "I'd just like to be as happy as you are."

Her smile flickered and then vanished altogether. Margaux turned to look out at the river. She felt a shiver run over her skin and prayed Gardner would think it was just because the air felt a little colder now that the sun was finally beginning to set. "Postman or not, you're still the best damn Skee-Ball player this side of the river."

"I told you, I'm better at horseshoes. We should play sometime."

"What? So you can beat me at something else?" Margaux snorted, giving him a gentle shove. "I don't think so, mon chou. I have my pride, you know."

That name again. Gardner made a mental note to look it up later. He laughed softly, reaching for a bag of chips. "I'll teach you horseshoes if you teach me how to fix cars."

"Why do you wanna know that?"

"I like learning new things. And it'll keep me busy."

"I think cars might be jumping in at the deep end." Margaux dug her hand into the bag when he offered her some chips. "I do need to fix a hoover for a lady, though. You wanna help?" When Gardner nodded eagerly, his mouth full, she laughed. "Right, it's a deal. A hoover for horseshoes."

Gardner beamed, just glowing in the early rays of twilight. Margaux let her gaze trace the outline of his nose down to his lips, pouted subconsciously as he looked down into the bag of chips. She felt a swell of fondness, wondering to herself what she could possibly have done to deserve the honour of his company. She couldn't remember the last time she felt so utterly at ease with someone.

* * *

 

They stayed by the river until it began to get dark, still talking easily as if they'd known each other forever. As they began their walk home, both of them walking purposefully slow to prolong their time together, Gardner realised he hadn't worried that he was being boring or too enthusiastic the whole day. Margaux let him speak, listening intently and asking questions, happy, it seemed, just to be in his company. It was a feeling he wasn't used to; even Calvin and Trudy sometimes had to gently interrupt him when he started to ramble on.

Margaux pushed open her front gate, mumbling to herself about oiling the hinge when it squeaked loudly. Gardner hovered in the gateway for a moment then followed her up to her house. Margaux smiled when she saw Ada sitting in the living room window, watching her expectantly. Calvin must have been round, as he promised he would.

With a contented sort of sigh, she turned back to Gardner, about to thank him for such a lovely day, when she saw the little frown on his face, like he was concentrating. Before you could ask what he was thinking about, Gardner took a small step closer, reaching up and ever so carefully tucking her hair behind her ear. He was so gentle, she almost didn't believe that it had happened, but as he pulled his hand back, Gardner's thumb grazed across her cheek and she knew she couldn't be dreaming.

Margaux suddenly couldn't stop smiling if her life depended on it. "Oh, hello."

Gardner knew he was blushing but for once, he didn't mind. Margaux looked so pretty in the last of the sunshine, her dark eyes almost gold. He ran his thumb over the tips of his fingers, as if he might still be able to feel her there. "Saw that in a movie once."

"It was good."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, I liked it."

Gardner grinned, huffing out a little laugh that made Margaux want to grab him by the shoulders and kiss him within an inch of his life, but thankfully, she held herself back.

"Thank you for today. I had a really good time."

"Me too, Gard." There was a beat, just a moment, wherein all they did was look at each other, then Margaux bent down and picked a tiny flower from the grass. "There you go," she said, reaching up and tucking the daisy behind Gardner's ear. "Something to remember me by."

Gardner's heart ached. He felt like he could burst, he was so happy. He knew he cared about Margaux, he cared about her a lot, but he was so nervous about letting himself like her after what happened the last time he felt himself falling for someone.

But Margaux was just so easy to be with, to talk to, there were no secrets, no confusion, and he knew, he  _knew_  she liked him too, and he also knew that she was open with him on purpose, for his benefit. Margaux cared about him too.

"Thank you." Gardner gently brushed his fingertips against the daisy behind his ear, making sure it was safe.

Margaux grinned. "After the hair thing, what happens?"

"What?"

"In the film, what did the person do after they'd done that thing with the hair?" Margaux took a step closer, perhaps the closest they'd ever been, her hands clasped innocently behind her back.

"They, uh..." Gardner's tongue felt like rubber. He watched Margaux tilt her head slightly, her gaze travelling down to somewhere by his collar then slowly back up again to meet his eyes. "They…"

"Yes?"

"Gaux!"

The sudden shout made them both jump. Margaux looked over Gardner's shoulder, her heart sinking when she saw her cousin approaching her house.

"Qu'est-ce que t'as fait encore?" Gabriel roughly shut the gate behind him, making Margaux scowl. "Maman est hors d'elle. Qu'est-ce que tu lui as dit?"

"Rien, c'est elle qui avait décidé de m'en vouloir avant même de venir ici."

"C'est la même chose à chaque fois, quand est-ce que tu vas changer-" Gabriel stopped beside them, only just noticing Gardner. "Oh. Hey, mailman."

" _Carrier_." Margaux corrected him in a dark voice. Gabriel scoffed and just stormed up to the house, letting himself in. Margaux sighed, turning back to Gardner with an apologetic smile. "I better go."

Gardner glanced at the door nervously. "Is everything okay?"

"It's fine. Family trouble, you know how it is." Before her words had the chance to sting, Margaux spoke again and he was distracted, "What are you doing tomorrow?"

Gardner shook his head. "Nothing."

"Fancy coming round? I'm baking all day and I need a sous chef." Margaux's smile had already returned, the thought of spending another day with Gardner blanketing the dark cloud her cousin had brought with him. "Alright, I'll be honest, this is just an elaborate ploy to spend more time with you."

"It's not that elaborate if you tell me about it."

Margaux laughed. "Oh, handsome  _and_  clever, I am in trouble. Fancy it?"

Gardner knew he was the colour of a tomato so he was very glad when Margaux turned away to walk up her porch steps. "I'd like that."

"Alright, it's a date," She glanced back just in time to see Gardner smile to himself, biting back a smile of her own. "And, hey, you'll get a slice or three of whatever we end up making." She stopped with her hand pressed against the door, nodding when she saw his smile stretch into a grin. "Yeah, thought so. Bet you're glad you agreed to come now."

Gardner laughed. "I already was."

"Shame," Margaux said. "I was looking forward to making you come." She saw Gardner's eyes widen, his lips parting in surprise, and the antagonising thought of kissing him crossed her mind once again. "See you tomorrow, Gardner." She gave him one last cheeky grin then disappeared inside.

Gardner stared at the space where she had just stood. Margaux's words rolled around his head until he felt hot all over. He swallowed thickly, realising that his breathing was a little uneven. God, she was going to be the death of him. Soon his open mouth twitched into a grin. He practically danced home.

* * *

When Margaux walked into her kitchen, Gabriel was making himself a coffee. She sighed, shaking her head, and spotted a Post-It note on the fridge. It was from Calvin, letting her know that the cats had got in fine and her spare key was back under the doormat. He also asked her to say 'hi' to Gardner for him, which made her smile.

Gabriel smirked at her over his shoulder. "Were you on a date with your  _mailman_?"

Margaux wrinkled her nose, it was none of his business. "No. Yes. I don't know, it's not- Leave me alone." She sighed, shaking her head again, eager to change the subject. "Have you eaten?"

When Gabriel shook his head, Margaux chucked him the bag with the last of her and Gardner's picnic food in it. He made an appreciative sound, already digging but frowned when his hand hit against something hard and cold. He drew out the peacock garden ornament; Gardner had forgotten to take it with him.

When Gabriel raised his eyebrows, she snatched it back from him, cradling it close to her chest. "Just go eat, Gabriel."

When he'd gone, Margaux looked down at the colourful little bird. The faint blue glass patterning its long feathers reminded her of Gardner's uniform. She smiled down at it, then carefully placed it down on the counter so that it could gaze out of the window before she started making a cup of coffee for herself.


	10. Chapter 10

“Cabbage.”

“What?”

“It means cabbage.”

“No, it doesn’t.”

“Would I lie?”

“You must’ve read it wrong.”

“No, look. See? It’s right here.  _Mon shoo._ ”

Calvin held up the dictionary, shoving it right under Gardner’s nose. He tutted and pushed the book away so that he could read it. Calvin’s high school French classes could only get them so far, so he had to borrow a French to English dictionary from the library on his way home from work. Next to his fingertip, the word ‘chou’ was printed in thick black letters, attached to a translation in smaller type.

Gardner frowned, puzzled. Perhaps he’d misheard Margaux? No, she said it at least twice, always accompanied by a pretty smile that made his heart pound just to think about it. How could he forget that? Well, he supposed he’d been a little distracted.

Calvin gave his brother a sympathetic look. “Could be worse.”

Gardner pouted thoughtfully and glanced over the page again, more than happy to be called a cabbage if that’s what Margaux wanted to call him. He’d certainly been called worse. But then he saw that there were a few more definitions they didn’t notice before.

“Wait, look.” He showed Calvin, who read the words out loud.

“‘ _Mon petit chou. Sweetheart, my sweetheart.’_ ” He looked up at his brother, grinning from ear to ear, the same excitement he’d shown when Gardner came home yesterday evening with a daisy tucked behind his ear and a smile like the Fourth of July. “French flirting, Gardner.” Calvin grabbed his shoulders, giving him a little excited shake. “French. Flirting.”

Gardner snorted and brushed him off, but he couldn’t ignore the beating of his own heart, knocking against his ribs, making him feel confusingly happy and nervous at the same time. He took the dictionary back, flipping through the pages, while Calvin grabbed a pen and paper, ready to take notes.

* * *

 

The sidewalk had always seemed so sparse and grey before. Margaux had never given it more than a cursory thought. Now, as she gazed down at the paving slabs passing quickly beneath her feet, she thought of Gardner, and it made her smile.

He’d told her that he enjoyed looking down at the pavement after she’d expressed concern about him bumping into something. He walked so quickly and kept his gaze down most of the time, Margaux couldn’t help but worry he’d walk right into traffic, but Gardner knew these streets like the back of his hand.

He’d showed her what he saw, or at least attempted to. She was more interested in looking at him at first, but Margaux listened intently as Gardner carefully traced his fingertip in the air, outlining the patterns and shapes and colours that could be found in the sidewalk.

As Margaux pushed open her front gate, she found she was still smiling. Gardner had that effect on her. He saw ordinary things and made them extraordinary, he beatified things that other people tended to ignore. Like his stamps, tiny little things, barely noticed by most, but in them, he saw a whole story, where they’d been, who sent the letter, where they were going. She’d never known anyone to love as deeply as Gardner.

Margaux closed her front door and leaned back against it. The house was woefully quiet. Her smile faded away, her good mood disappearing with it. She’d spent the best part of her morning at Miss. Le’s house, fixing her broken refrigerator. The two bottles of lemonade she’d given her in return sat heavily in a bag hanging from her shoulder. The hand mirror she’d slipped off the kitchen counter burned a hole in her pocket.

Margaux squeezed her eyes shut, letting her head fall back against the door. “Shit. Shit, shit, shit.”

She pushed away from the door, quickly scaling the stairs, taking them two at a time. It was still only early morning still but Gardner was wonderfully punctual and she wanted to get ready before he arrived.

Four doors led off from the top floor landing, her bedroom and the spare room, the bathroom, and a storage closet, the furthest door from the stairs. Margaux wrenched it open, slipping the little brass hand mirror inside and placing it on a shelf without looking at it, ready to be sorted later.

She quickly changed then hurried back downstairs, grabbing her stereo from the kitchen counter on her way to the door. Margaux settled herself on her only lawn chair, plonked her old stereo down on the table, and waited for Gardner to arrive.

She smiled to herself, humming along to the radio and fanning herself with her free hand while she opened up her notebook with the other. She kept a list of all the people she regularly fixed things for. Her lip twitched at the word ‘clients’ written at the top of the page, it felt far too professional and impersonal, but she hadn’t been able to come up with anything better. 

Margaux still worked for the same people she helped when she first started all those years ago. She’d found the fault in her neighbour’s air conditioner with ease and rewired all the sockets in the general store on the corner, and word had spread. Her list had grown and grown, and they seemed to have a never-ending series of problems, but that was alright by her. Margaux liked fixing things, it kept her busy, it got her out of the house, and it made sense to her. It was the only thing she’d ever been very good at. 

Margaux blew out a long upward breath, trying to cool her face. It was already stiflingly hot, at least by her standards, and it was barely eleven o’clock. She smiled when she saw the time. Gardner would be here soon.

She scribbled down some notes on the work she’d done for Mrs. Le, just so that she could keep track. It was probably the only aspect of her life where she was even remotely organised.

Margaux looked up when the garden gate swung open. The sound caused an embarrassingly strong Pavlovian reaction, just hearing the hinges squeak made her heartbeat pick up. That’s why she hadn’t bothered to oil it. If the gate squeaked, it meant that Gardner was here. But it wasn’t her friend walking up the garden path, but one of his old co-workers.

Margaux’s smile flickered, a flash of disappointment making her chest clench, but she quickly recovered. “Morning.”

A faint look of surprise crossed Linda’s face as she drew closer. “Good morning.”

Margaux had regrettably never paid all that much attention to her mail carriers before. Now that she and Gardner were friends, she couldn’t be more embarrassed that she’d gotten Linda’s name wrong that first day they met. Since then, she’d made much more of an effort to talk to her, although it seemed Linda’s attention was elsewhere.

“You waiting for Gardner?”

Margaux smiled at the sound of his name. “How’d you know?”

“We went out for drinks last night. He wouldn’t shut up about you.” Linda grinned. “Mentioned he was seeing you today about, uh... Eight times.”

Margaux’s smile grew before she could do anything to stop it. She caught her bottom lip between her teeth as Linda carefully placed her mail on the table, but it was too much. The thought of Gardner talking about her, being excited to spend time with her, it made her chest felt like it might burst, like it couldn’t contain her pounding heart. 

“Well, that’s...” She tried to think of something, _anything,_ to say, but Linda looked amused and Margaux knew she was blushing. She made several more attempts to speak but she couldn’t stop thinking about Gardner, which wasn’t unusual. Eventually, Margaux gave up, huffing a laugh, shaking her head slightly.

Linda shrugged, raised her hand in farewell, and turned away, ready to move onto the next house. Her job was tenuous as it was, a few complaints against her name and she’d go the same way as Gardner. But just as she stepped off the porch, she couldn’t help adding, “Rock his world, kid.”

Margaux stared after her, eyes wide. She opened her mouth to try and defend herself but all that came out was garbled nonsense. Linda didn’t even look back, but she could tell she was smiling. Margaux sank back in her chair, only allowing herself to think about what she might’ve meant for a few moments before it all got too much and she shivered.

Just a few minutes later, reliable as always, the garden gate swung open again. Gardner walked towards her at his usual hasty yet exact pace, his head bowed, his gaze following the cracks in the concrete. Margaux wished she knew what it was about him that made her heart thrum in her chest, she couldn’t explain it, just seeing Gardner made her happy.

She reached over and pressed a button on her radio, turning up the volume. “Morning, angel.”

Gardner smiled to himself, feeling warmth bloom in his chest the moment he heard her voice. He looked up from the path and found Margaux in her usual spot, red-lipped and smiling. She was so beautiful, she seemed to glow in the early morning light. All he could think about was kissing her, feeling her warm skin under his palms, her chest pressed against his, but he was terrified. Gardner had moved so quickly the last time he felt himself falling for someone, the first and only time, and it had gone so wrong, he was scared about getting hurt again.

He thought he’d done everything right, he thought he was good enough, he still didn’t completely understand what had gone wrong, and it made him nervous. Too many people had left him, and so much had been taken from him, he didn’t want to lose Margaux too. But her smile as he drew closer made all the fear slip from his shoulders. This wasn’t like the last time, that he was sure of.

Gardner was so distracted by his thoughts that he hadn’t even realised there was music playing. He tilted his head to the side, listening intently to the song that curled through the hot morning air. Gardner didn’t know it. “What does this have to do with..?”

Margaux held up a hand. “Wait for it.” 

The song continued. He liked it even if he didn’t recognise it, but he still couldn’t understand why she’d chosen this song. Then he heard it, _‘Now it's a beautiful day, the postman delivered a letter from your lover...’_

Gardner laughed softly. “Not your best work.”

Margaux sighed dolefully. “There are _shockingly_ few songs about postmen. It’s a travesty.”

“I’m not a postman anymore.”

“I thought you might say that, so...” Margaux pressed another button on the stereo, and the song changed.

_‘Arrested on charges of unemployment, he was sittin' in the witness stand. The judge's wife called up the district attorney, she said, “Free that brown-eyed man. If you want your job, you'd better free that brown-eyed man”.’_

“Brown-Eyed Handsome Man. Very fitting.” Margaux grinned at him, obviously pleased with herself. She nodded over her shoulder. “C’mon, lovely. Oven’s on.”

She got up and went inside, taking her stereo with her, and Gardner watched her walk away, stunned. He couldn’t believe that anyone could say such sweet things to him and say them so easily, and ask for nothing in return.

After a moment, he got the feeling back in his legs and followed her inside, grateful when the air conditioning immediately cooled his skin.

“It really is unbelievably hot. I don’t know how you do it, marching around in this heat.”

Gardner frowned as he followed her into the kitchen. “I don’t march.”

Margaux laughed, soft and light as falling snow. “Yes, you so do! It’s endearing! It’s like you’re on a mission, I love it.”  She yanked open the fridge door, grandly sweeping her arm towards its contents. “Do you want a drink? I know this lady, she lives just a few houses away and she makes the best lemonade you’ve ever tasted. I don’t know how she does it, it’s like magic.” Margaux laughed. “She doesn’t even pay me, she just gives me lemonade.”

Gardner nodded, eager to cool down. He was a little more acclimated to the Austin sunshine but even he was starting to sweat through his thin shirt. “She pays you in lemonade?”

“Well, she can’t really afford to give me anything at the moment, so I made her a deal.”

Gardner smiled as he took the glass she handed him, taking a long drink before he said, “You keep doing people favours, you’re not gonna make any money at all.”

“If it was money I was after, I’d have a proper job.”

He thought he saw hurt flash in her eyes, just for a moment, as she repeated her aunt’s words, ‘a proper job’, but it left just as quickly as it arrived. 

Margaux sipped her drink, shrugging. “I just like fixing things. It’s a bonus that they pay me.”

Gardner felt a sudden swell of fondness. He hadn’t realised how charitable Margaux was with her work. He’d felt the same way about his old job, he just like delivering mail, it suited him, it felt _right_ , the fact that he got paid was an afterthought. 

Gardner leaned back against the counter by the sink, gulping down the lemonade. It really was incredible. As he relaxed, his elbow bumped into something on the counter behind him. It made an almighty racket as it shuddered then tipped over, clattering against the metal draining rack and making Gardner jump.

It was the small garden ornament he bought yesterday. It was even uglier than he remembered. If he was perfectly honest, he wasn’t sure why he’d picked it up other than that it had made Margaux smile.

“You left him behind yesterday,” she said, raising her eyebrows. “I hope that wasn’t on purpose.”

“It definitely wasn’t.” He’d left it in the bag of leftover food Margaux carried. He would’ve taken it home with him if her cousin hadn’t interrupted them and made him forget all about it. “I was very disappointed when I got home and realised I forgot... That.”

“He has a name, Gardner.”

“You named it?” 

“Well, he looked so sad after his father _abandoned_ him, so I thought I’d cheer him up with a name.”

Gardner felt a sickening twist in his stomach but pushed through it, trying to keep a straight face. “What name did you pick?”

Margaux picked up the awkwardly shaped peacock, giving its head a fond pat. “Sir Rowland Hill. He came up with the idea for prepaid stamps. 13th February 1837, it was. But I only remember that because it’s the day before my birthday.”

That familiar feeling of warmth bloomed in his chest, just knowing that Margaux had made an effort, once again, to share his interests. “Did you look that up?”

“Well, you can’t just pull a name out of the air, can you? And I tried to think of something you might like so I looked up the history of stamps and... Sir Rowland Hill.” Margaux raised the little peacock and ever-so-gently tapped its beak against the tip of his nose, practically bursting with happiness when it made Gardner laugh softly. “You can change it, if you like. He’s your garish lawn ornament, after all.” 

“Sir Rowland Hill is good.”

“Sir Rowland, it is. How are your baking skills?”

“Calvin usually does most of the cooking,” he admitted. 

“Oh, that’s okay. I’m only a very enthusiastic novice myself, so…” Margaux grinned, shining with life. “Do you want an apron? Or are you feeling brave?”

Gardner let Margaux guide him to the counter and show him the recipe book she wanted to work from. It was a simple enough recipe, an apple pie in honour of him, she claimed. He’d seen Calvin make them hundreds of times and often helped out, but he didn’t have much patience for measurements and waiting for things to cook, so Gardner usually got distracted or bored and wandered off.

Baking with Margaux was an entirely different experience. It was always fun with Calvin, but she just seemed to be able to make him laugh so easily, it surprised even Gardner, who was almost out of the habit of laughing. At one point, she made him laugh so hard and so unexpectedly, that his head fell back, his eyes squeezed shut as his shoulders shook.

It was the most wonderful sight Margaux had ever seen, and sweeter than any love song. She could only gaze at him in wonder, watching his nose wrinkle, his hand clutching his stomach, and knew she wanted to spend the rest of her life trying to make Gardner laugh like that all the time.

He laughed so hard and so enthusiastically, completely relaxed and comfortable, that he accidentally managed to get some of the sugary apple mix on his face, flicking it off the end of the wooden spoon he was using.

Margaux laughed softly. “You’ve got- C’mere, love.” She hooked her thumb against the corner of his mouth, her other fingers gently resting along the length of his jaw, then she popped her thumb into her mouth to suck off the sugar. It was an instinctive reaction, Margaux didn’t even realise what she’d done until she noticed Gardner staring at her with parted lips and flushed cheeks, his glass of lemonade forgotten.

“Sorry,” She felt her face flush, suddenly wishing the floor would open up and swallow her whole. “I should’ve asked first.”

“It’s okay.” Gardner’s voice came out a lot higher than he’d have liked. He cleared his throat and tried again. “I don’t usually like when people I don’t know touch me but you’re not a stranger. I’m very comfortable with you. You can touch me, it’s okay.”

Margaux’s stomach wrenched at his words, suddenly filled with an overwhelming affection. She was so pleased to know he trusted her, and felt so honoured to be allowed to touch him. It had been so long since she’d been with anyone, so long it was embarrassing to even try and guess just _how_ long, and she felt the need to be close to him like an ache in her very bones. But she’d held back, with varying degrees of success.

She didn’t want to make Gardner uncomfortable but he was so ridiculously beautiful and he smelled so good and looked so soft, she just couldn’t help herself. Perhaps Gardner had sensed her indecision and wanted to ease her mind, he even gently reached out and bumped his elbow against hers, the slightest of touches, but it was enough to make Margaux grin like an idiot.

“Thank you,” she said at last, floundering for something better to say. “Er, same to you. Touch away.” 

She turned to push the pie into the oven, hiding her flushed face, absolutely mortified. _Touch away?_ But Gardner didn’t seem to notice, that, or he was being very polite about it. 

He certainly didn’t smile when he saw that she was blushing, he certainly didn’t feel extraordinarily proud of himself for it, and he certainly didn’t see the floury handprints left behind from when Margaux had dusted them off on her ass and let her last words echo through his head again.

Her face a lot less flushed, Margaux turned back around, smile in place. “Do you wanna go sit in the garden?”

Gardner had never seen Margaux’s backyard before. It was fairly unremarkable, a little smaller than the one he and Calvin shared, but better kept. Unlike his brother, Margaux had left the trees in her garden alone so that they could flourish in the July sunshine. More marigolds lined the fences, along with a few flowers he couldn’t name, but all in a fantastic array of wild colours.

They sat down on the back porch step, feet nestled in the cool grass. Gardner sighed happily to himself when Margaux sat close to him, barely a breath between them, a contented little smile on her face.

“What did you call your flamingo?” he asked after a moment, spotting the peacock’s partner down at the bottom of her garden, just as terrible as he remembered.

Margaux smiled fondly at it. “Dieter Binninger. He designed this really cool clock that tells the time with squares of light. I dunno if you’ve heard of it? The Mengenlehreuhr?” When he shook his head, her smile grew. “Oh, it’s amazing, Gardner. So it’s a twenty-four hour clock, right?”

She launched into a long, excited explanation, waving her hands around as she described the complicated clock. Gardner was able to follow along at first, but there were so many numbers thrown around, he settled for just enjoying the delighted grin on Margaux’s face, the light in her eyes, the warmth in her voice.

“It was the first public clock in the world to tell the time by means of illuminated, coloured fields and it’s just, god, it’s so cool.” She stopped, realising how much she’d been talking, and winced. “Sorry, that’s really sad, isn’t it? I promise it‘s a lot better than it sounds.”

“No, it sounds interesting. The Mengen..?”

“Mengenlehreuhr. It’s back home in Berlin.”

“I thought London was home?”

“I never could quite decide. I’m not really sure where I’m from.” Margaux’s smile flickered slightly. “I think that’s why I like it here so much. Everything’s just simpler. I’m one thing, not a bunch of little things, you know?”

“I think so.”

They were quiet for a moment, then Margaux leaned a little closer, her eyes on the flamingo down at the end of the yard. “Do you think he looks a bit lonely?”

She got up and walked back inside, returning a few minutes later with the metal peacock. She walked down to the end of the garden and settled him next to the little flamingo. Gardner smiled at her as she came and sat down beside him again. He gazed at the two wonky lawn ornaments, the sunlight catching their stained-glass bodies.

“He can stay there, if you like.” Gardner gestured towards the peacock. “To keep Dieter company.”

“Don’t you wanna take him home?”

Gardner smiled to himself. “I think he looks happy there.”

Margaux knew what he was thinking. She was glad Gardner felt happy here too. “Well, feel free to visit him any time you like.” She brought her knees up to her chest and slung her arm around them to keep them there. She hesitated, then, feeling brave, she leaned over and rested her head on Gardner’s shoulder. “Is this okay?”

Gardner could feel her warmth through his shirt, the bare skin of her arm against his the most remarkable feeling he’d ever known. Margaux’s head rested heavily on his shoulder, leaning her weight against him, and it made him feel bigger, stronger, and he loved that she trusted him, wanted to touch him, felt comfortable with him. He nodded even though she wasn't looking at him and murmured a quiet ‘yes’.

He felt Margaux’s smile against his shoulder and almost melted. She smelt wonderful, like apple pie and engine oil and flowers, and when he felt extraordinarily brave and rested his chin on top of her head, Gardner knew he could’ve happily stayed there for the rest of his life.

“Do you have a favourite flower?” Margaux murmured, breaking their comfortable silence. “Was thinking about what I’m gonna plant next, thought you might have a preference.”

Gardner thought for a moment, then said, “Sunflowers.”

Margaux laughed softly, shifting on the step to close the last of the space between them. Now his entire left side was pressed against her right, shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip, knee to knee. They both had to hold back sighs of relief.

“Good choice. And very fitting. Bright and sunny and they make me happy, just like you.” Margaux raised her head, nose wrinkling as she smiled again. Gardner's cheeks were pink but he steadily held her gaze. She rested her chin on his shoulder, just for a second, then looked up at him again. “I saw Linda this morning. She said you went out last night.”

“It’s a weekly get-together type thing. They’re very important now I don’t get to see my friends every day.”

“She said you talked about me. About seeing me today.”

Gardner resisted the urge to wearily roll his eyes. “They wanted to know more about you. I wasn’t going to say anything but they asked how we met, and once I got talking about you, I... I couldn’t stop.”

“Good things, I hope?”

Gardner felt his nerves shudder. His instincts told him to stop talking, to just keep quiet or change the subject. He couldn’t face another heartbreak, he just couldn’t, but this, Margaux, everything, it really did feel different, better, easier. He wasn’t afraid of saying something stupid. He didn’t feel the anxious need to change anything about himself. He didn’t even have to talk if he didn’t want to, Margaux would be happy either way so long as he was comfortable. But surprisingly, Gardner found that he wasn’t afraid at all and when he spoke again, it felt like a weight had lifted from his shoulders.

“Margaux, I really like spending time with you,” he said, surprising them both. Suddenly, he was speaking without thinking about it, the words flowed from him as if he’d been holding onto them for decades and was finally allowed to speak. “You’re... You’re my best friend. Besides Calvin, of course.”

When she didn’t say anything, just continued to gaze at him, Gardner began to grow nervous. But Margaux’s soft expression never wavered.

She wanted to tell him how hard her heart was pounding. She wanted to tell him that there was never any reason for him to be nervous around her. She wanted to tell him that seeing him every day had bought her so much joy she could hardly put the feeling into words, and she couldn’t remember what she used to do or think about all day before they met. But instead, Margaux said, “And you’re mine.”

Gardner beamed at her, his soul sighing at her words.

The sunlight made his hair look almost scarlet. There were some freckles on his nose that she’d never seen before, she could spend hours counting them. Margaux grinned back, feeling so stupidly happy that for a moment, she forgot herself and asked, “Gardner, can I kiss your cheek?”

“I told you, you don’t have to ask.”

“I know, but I didn’t ask the first time, so I’m making up for it now.”

“You can. Kiss me, I mean.”

Margaux laughed softly, charmed by his characteristic pragmatic approach, so pleased that he’d said yes that she forgot to be nervous. She leaned closer and pressed a sweet kiss to his cheek, lingering a little longer than necessary, her hand gently holding his cheek. It held more meaning than she dared to think about.

When she pulled back, she saw that she’d left a red lipstick stain on his cheek and underneath, his skin was as pink as the roses in her garden. Margaux flashed him a shy grin, letting her thumb slowly sweep across his cheek before he moved away.

With a sigh, she let her head rest against his shoulder again. Music swept out from the kitchen to the garden like water over the sand, warm and soothing. It was another song Gardner didn’t know but it was soft and sweet, but not nearly as enticing as the woman leaning against him, her hand ever so gently pressed against the small of his back.

“I could stay like this forever,” Margaux said after a moment.

Gardner smiled, resting his cheek on top of her head. “Might get a little cold eventually.”

Margaux shrugged. “I don’t mind.” But she could smell cinnamon and sugar drifting out from the kitchen, tangling with the music, swirling through the afternoon sunlight. If they didn’t get up soon, they’d burn their carefully constructed creation. Against every fibre of her being, Margaux sighed and raised her head again. “Do you wanna see if the pie’s done?”

With half the apple pie wrapped up safely in a Tupperware box he promised to return on his next visit, Gardner stepped out into the late afternoon air, breathing in the beginnings of twilight. He thought he saw a firefly float through the air and tried to follow it, but soon grew distracted when Margaux stepped out onto her front porch, the lady in red, smiling at him so beautifully, he thought he must be dreaming. Maybe this was heaven, the low purple light of a summer evening, the smell of cinnamon and apples, and a girl, glowing bright as the fireflies, glowing for him.

Gardner cleared his throat and recalled what Calvin and he had rehearsed that morning. “Merci pour ce merveilleuse journée.”

Margaux laughed, surprised and amused. “Thank you for stopping by.”

Gardner grinned, pleased with himself, then waved goodbye, his watch glinting in the last light of the day. “Au revoir, ma chérie.”

Margaux stared, stunned, as he turned and walked away, marching off into the night. She felt a strange warmth wrap around her heart, like it had grown two sizes bigger. Her feet hardly meet the ground as she turned and went back inside. She leaned back against the door, pressing her hands to her hot cheeks as she got her breath back, then laughed softly and went to clean up in the kitchen.

Margaux hummed along to the radio, smiling as the old, familiar love song enveloped her. She thought about Gardner’s broken attempts at French. She couldn’t believe how sweet he was, that he would learn that for her. She closed her eyes, repeating his last words over and over, wondering if he knew what he’d said, what he’d called her and what it meant, or if Calvin had tricked him when he undoubtedly helped him learn the phrase. Either way, it made her heart pound.

She bit her lip to keep back her smile then realised there was no one around to pretend for. Margaux laughed softly to herself, feeling happiness flutter in her stomach. It was the first time in a very long while that she’d been alone and not felt at all lonely, just knowing that Gardner cared about her. Her heart wrung at the thought and she bit back a stupidly girlish giggle. 

He’d called her his best friend. She could still feel his broad shoulder pressing against her cheek, his soft skin against her lips, his warm body pressing against hers. Still, the song played, sweeping round the room, a song about joy, about being happy at home, about falling in love with your best friend, about trust and sweetness and-

“Oh.” Margaux stopped what she was doing, freezing in the middle of her kitchen. The song reached its crescendo and began to fade away, and she realised she’d been thinking about Gardner the whole time it played. Margaux felt breathless, stunned. Then, suddenly and without warning, it dawned on her. “Oh, my God.”


End file.
